The Book Of The Third Eye
by S1lver Wolf
Summary: A mysterious book. A strange conspiracy. A dimensional rift. A shrouded history. How does it all connect? What is happening on Mobius? And why does romance always happen at the most inconvenient times? Features multiple genres, SONADOW, moderate violence, and a few naughty words. The first in a series.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome. Before we begin, there are a few things I must get out of the way. Firstly, all the Mobians are called 'anthropomorphs' only by the humans. Otherwise, they are known as Mobians. Secondly, the disclaimer:

**I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, NOR ANY OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS SEGA OWNS. I ONLY OWN THE CHARACTERS I OWN.**

**(THIS DOES NOT MEAN THERE WILL BE ANNOYING OCS OR MARY SUES WHO WILL GET IN YOUR FACE. I DO NOT HAVE ANY CHARACTERS THAT ARE HEDGEHOGS MADE IN AN UNDERWATER VOLCANO LAB IN SPACE, NOR ANY PINK CHARACTERS NAMED 'SAKURA'. NOBODY IN THIS STORY IS BASED ON ME.)  
**

Thank you. Now, on with the story!

* * *

**The Book Of The Third Eye**

**Rouge: Part I**

Rouge was not exactly pleased with her current situation. The short message she had received from her friend Shadow left a very odd taste in her mouth, to say the least. It wasn't the length that bothered her, (knowing Shadow, the occasional string of three sentences was an actual speech), nor was it the hedgehog's stern way of getting the message across. It also wasn't the fact that she had only gotten back from a spy mission an hour before, after having made _perfectly_ clear that she wanted _at least_ twenty-four before GUN even _attempted _to send her on another one. Hell, it wasn't even being interrupted during a rather flirtatious argument with Knuckles that set her off. However, even knowing Shadow as well as Rouge did, there was still something _quite_ suspicious about being asked to meet at night, behind a building, as far away from the GUN headquarters as possible.

_Dammit, Shadow, _the bat thought as she walked through the strangely empty streets of Station Square, knowing that she would enjoy the night air if she were actually to be in the air, _couldn't you have at least let me _fly_? And what's wrong with letting a person know why they're being dragged out in the middle of the night? If this thing was as urgent as you said, couldn't you have just come over to the club? I had better get something good for this._

She wasn't really surprised at any of her partner's behavior, (mostly because you come to expect the unexpected when you go on missions with Shadow), just mildly annoyed and insanely curious, a feeling Rouge did not relish. There had always been a little information hungry monster in the back of her mind that gnawed obnoxiously whenever she was out of the know. The beast wasn't _nearly _as ravenous as Amy's, but still irritated the hell out of anybody unfortunate enough to withhold information from her.

Rouge approached the building her friend had told her to meet him behind; it was some old brick building with the remnants of a sign, but not enough to read. She walked around to one side of the building, but was rewarded with only locked fence. The jewel thief knew that she could easily pick the lock, or go around the other side, (_But where's the fun in that?_ She thought with a smirk), but didn't have the patience for either and simply spread her bat wings and flew over…landing about a foot in front of a certain black and red hedgehog.

Shadow simply crossed his arms and gave a light glare. "You had to fly at least once didn't you?"

Rouge walked past him and examined the back lot she found herself in. _Garbage. Broken streetlamp. Ultimate Lifeform. Yep, I'm in the right place. _She really doubted whether Shadow wanted an answer to that question, but she answered it anyway, along with one of her own.

"Of course. Now," she turned to face Shadow, ice blue meeting ruby red, "what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, hon?" The hedgehog took a few steps closer and uncrossed his arms. "Where you draw your conclusions from is a mystery to me," he stated, keeping a stone expression, scowl a seemingly permanent fixture, "but all I really need is your help, surprisingly enough." Rouge had to stifle a chuckle at this, and struck Shadow an accusatory stare. "So," she said, using a tone of voice used only by therapists and disc jockeys for radio stations that play only classical music, "you haven't gotten yourself in _any_ trouble, and you just called me out in the middle of the night so I could _help, _right? With what," her voice returned to normal with this line, "your shoes run out of gas?"

"I assure you, this matter is definitely not one to take lightly." The Ultimate Lifeform strode over to behind one of the trash bins, obviously ignoring her jab. Rouge followed, knowing that she was most likely expected to do so, smirking as she rounded the dumpster, giving a small gasp at what she saw.

"Shadow, is that…?"

"Yes, Rouge. It's the Commander."

"But…why…?"

"I don't have time to explain."

"Is he…dead?"

"No, just heavily sedated."

Rouge very much wished she had dropped her communicator in hydrochloric acid this morning. "Where I draw my conclusions is a _mystery to you?_" Her voice rose ever so slightly. "_I'd say they're pretty spot on!_" Shadow looked completely unfazed. "You asked me what _I _had gotten _myself _into. I can assure you that this is not my fault." The jewel thief could almost hear the Ultimate Lifeform's mental tacking of the word _'mostly'_ to the end of that sentence.

"Then can you please explain why the Commander of the GUN headquarters, both mine and your superior, is drugged behind the dumpster of an abandoned building with you conveniently standing over him?" It was this moment when she noticed the black hedgehog's lack of gloves, leaving only his inhibitor rings on bare wrists. Rouge found this _very_ odd, considering the fact that she had never seen them off. It somehow made him look…_powerless. They really have nothing to do with his use of Chaos energy; the bracelet things are there for that. I mean the gloves don't really do any thing except…What? Why am I focused on Shadow's hands? There is a really serious issue here, Rouge. Chaos, I blame lack of sleep._ "And where are your gloves?"

"Oh, those," Shadow said, eyeing his bare hands, "I gave those to that blue hedgehog, after he…" The bat gave him a look that said 'Really… tell me more. I'd love to tell embarrassing stories about it…' "Er, uh, I mean, the Commander, yeah, like I said. It's complicated." _Hmmmm… I don't think I've ever seen Shadow trip over his words like that… and right after mentioning Sonic, too…_

Rouge normally would have pointed out the Ultimate Lifeform's stumbling, but decided that the issue with the GUN Commander was _much _more pressing, especially after seeing a little leg twitch from under the blue suit pants of the man behind the dumpster. "So, what do you want me to do, hon?" Shadow seemed relieved at Rouge not saying anything about his slip-up, and crossed his arms. "While my reasons for wishing you to do this might seem _very _confusing, I have no time to explain." He reached into his head quills and pulled out a small object. "I need you to steal something; something in the GUN headquarters. After stealing it, you will put this in its place."

Shadow handed Rouge the object, and she examined it with interest. It was no bigger than her thumb, and seemed to be made of a smooth, shiny, metal. She looked up from it with a questioning glance at her partner before noticing a small green button. _Well, how often does something dangerous have anything other than a red button? _Her odd logic pushed her to press it, and as soon as she did, a blue light popped out, seeming to scan the nearby dumpster. The light soon dissipated, and Rouge now appeared to be holding an exact replica of the dumpster in one gloved hand. Shadow smirked as she pushed the button again, terminating the hologram and leaving only the device once more.

"How did you get this?" Rouge questioned as she once again closely examined the device. _I wonder if I can find a way to keep this… _The ebony hedgehog shrugged. "Courtesy of Tails." _I'm surprised at my non-surprisedness… _"So," her partner continued, "are you in, or are you out?"

Rouge was at a loss. It was true that she would always help Shadow if ever he needed something from her, but to steal something from GUN… let's just say that they were the _last_ people she wanted to be on the bad side of. _Not to mention the temper the Commander's gonna have when he wakes up._ However, there was always a certain…animosity when it came to the Rouge and the Commander, the thief never quite knowing whether to be intimidated, impressed, or just downright irritated. _I think the irritation happens most, _she thought, still debating whether to help, _but is it enough for insubordination? Yeah, I think so. Not to mention, I haven't gotten to steal anything in _weeks_. _

Shadow was still rather expectant of an answer, and seemed to get a certain dark twinkle in his eye, (just a twinkle, mind you. It's not like his whole face lit up. _That might be the end of the world_, Rouge thought, suppressing a chuckle), at the bat's response. "What do I get to steal?"

**Tails: Part 1**

Miles "Tails" Prower had most definitely lost track of time, something that would not be surprising to anybody who knew him. He had been spending increasing amounts of time in his workshop since GUN had begun taking notice of his work. The fox didn't mind the extra hours in the workshop, but actually _enjoyed_ them. Using GUN's increasing amounts of requests, (_Requests is putting it lightly, _Tails thought, _make that demands._)_, _as an excuse to improve his already substantial mechanical prowess. _I might even invent something I didn't even _mean_ to one of these days. Kinda like that stealth bot that makes for a useful paperweight. _Tails chuckled to himself as he attached a pair of wires, his namesake twin tails twitching behind him.

The latest request from GUN had been rather ridiculous, in Tails' opinion. The Commander had contacted him a few days ago blustering about a lack of capable soldiers, yelling something or other about "damn softies" and "peace mongering". Tails really hadn't paid much attention to the first part, mostly because it had been largely incomprehensible. The only part of the transmission the Commander had successfully gotten across was that he wanted holographic soldiers made. "Not robots," he had said, face beet red from his passionate speech, "those have already been proven too easy to defeat!"

So far, it had been three days, with no success yet in creating a holographic supersoldier. In fact, Tails' first test had resulted with a hologram you could stick your arm right through. Not to mention the fact that it looked like a large mass of purple jelly. It was at this point that the fox decided he needed to have a human model programmed into the device, his second test resulting in an unmoving hologram of a semi-intimidating average army grunt that you could _still_ walk right through. It then occurred to him then that ten to fifteen "people" in the same room looking exactly the same would be disconcerting to say the least. _Maybe I'll just put a scanner… that way, it can look like anybody you want…_

And this was what Tails' was working on when he was interrupted by the hero of Mobius. "Hey little bro!" Sonic greeted as he appeared behind the fox seemingly out of nowhere. Tails did not turn around immediately, and he could almost _feel_ Sonic's disappointment at not startling him. "Hey, Sonic. You should know that you've done that enough times now for me to be immune to it." Tails heard the blue hedgehog sigh as he leaned up against something, probably his plane, the Tornado.

The fox turned around, holding a small device with wires still protruding and a small red button on the side. He _had _hoped to test the scanner on Sonic, but he seemed to know exactly what was going to happen and put his gloved hands out in front of him in a sort of _'stop right there until you tell me what that thing is'_ gesture. "Hey, no way Tails. You are not testing that thing out on me." Tails stopped and crossed his arms, tapping his foot similarly to a certain cobalt hero. "Come on, Sonic. It's completely harmless. I promise." Sonic put up a show of being mildly afraid, but had a joking tone to his voice as he spoke. "Then why is the button red? What kind of harmless device has a red button?"

Tails wouldn't have admitted it to Sonic, but he had a good point. _Also, I guess once it's finished it won't really be harmless… Wow. It only just occurred to me that I'm creating a deadly weapon… The last thing I want to do in life is be a cause of death. _ _Maybe I could attempt to convince the Commander to let him just make it a portable hologram generator. It would still be very useful. _Then, almost subconsciously: _Mental note: repaint the button._

The fox knew he probably wouldn't get Sonic to willingly cooperate, (and had to admit that it probably was safer to not try it on a living thing), so he just motioned for the hedgehog to get out of the way, pointing the device at the Tornado. Sonic moved in less than a second, and Tails pressed the button.

A blue light shot out and scanned the plane, and the image began to flicker around the device. The fox felt a gloved hand on his shoulder from behind. "Congratulations, Tails. It's a model plane." Tails swept his other hand through the small replica of the plane, slightly distorting the image. "If you don't mind me asking," the cocky voice behind him said," what exactly was that supposed to do?" Tails thought of responding with either 'use your imagination' or the more blunt 'what do you _think_ it was supposed to do', but instead opted for the more serious choice of, "It was supposed to create a life-size, moving, solid replica, and obviously the checklist is still empty."

Sonic shrugged as Tails returned to his workbench. _Maybe I should magnify the output from the power source. I should probably insulate the coils, too. Prolonged use could overheat the…_ "Actually, little buddy," Sonic began, interrupting Tails' train of thought, "I came here because I kinda need your help with something." _Sonic? Needing help? This is rare. _Tails gave him a look that said 'go on'. "Amy's in jail. I need to break her out."


	2. Chapter 2

**Amy: Part I**

_Oooooh… someday I'll have that hedgehog for my own…it's just a matter of time. He'll see he loves me. Yes, he'll see. Someday, Sonic, you'll be mine and nobody else's._

Amy Rose furiously cleaned her apartment, desperately trying to preoccupy her mind. It wasn't going well. Already, she had broken two cups and a plate while cleaning the dishes from simply pushing as hard as possible, her bedroom doorknob from standing in front of it twisting and pulling, (imagining it was a head), and her broom from sheer lack of control and overflowing of anger, leaving quite a dent in her front doorframe.

It had been only two hours since 'her' blue hedgehog had broken the news to her, and only his speed saved him from getting several broken limbs. _Oooooh, how dare they take my Sonikku away from me! That hedgie is mine mine MINE! _She threw the cloth she had been using to wear a sizable hole in her table, making an anticlimactic 'splap' sound as it struck the wall. She stomped over to get it, uncontrollably replaying the conversation of her nightmares again and again _and again and AGAIN! _Again flew the cloth. *_splap_* Her body trembled with fury at the recollection.

"_Sonikku? You love me, right?"_

"_No."_

"_But you _have _to love me!" Begins wielding hammer. "Why don't you love me, Sonic?"_

"_First of all, you're a bit crazy." *whoosh* *dodge* *slam* "Second of all, I already love someone else."_

Amy ignored the cloth and stormed down the hall to get the laundry. _NOOOO! Sonikku! He called me crazy! He loves someone else! MY SONIKKU CALLED ME CRAZY! _She kicked open the laundry room door and began haphazardly tossing things into the washer that was cranked to the highest setting. "I'm not crazy," she was muttering wildly, "I'm not crazy. My Sonikku loves me. He loves me." She violently grabbed the bleach and began pouring it in, not stopping until it was empty. _But, true love is just wanting the other person to be happy… _"Shut up. Sonic is mine." _But, true love is…_ "SHUT UP! SONIC IS MINE!"

Amy slammed the washer door closed, and slumped down onto the floor with her face in her hands, sobbing loudly. _But I _love _him. He's supposed to love me back! Not whoever that…that WHORE is that he thinks he loves! Sonic loves me! Sonic has _always _loved me! I refuse to believe that anyone could DARE even CONSIDER stealing my Sonikku! My Sonikku…_ The pink hedgehog continued along those lines for an unknown amount of time, finding an odd comfort from the pulsing washer pressing against her back. She ignored the sudden strong flash of light bursting through her window, not caring enough to worry about it perhaps being the end of the world. In fact, if she _had_ noticed it, she probably would have _welcomed _the end of Mobius if it meant an end to her suffering.

Quite suddenly, the washer stopped abusing its bleach soaked load of clothes, seeming to highlight the sudden flash of inspiration across Amy's face. _If… if he can't love me at the same time as this other person, _a slightly deranged grin spread across her face, _then I'm just going to have to make them disappear…_

**Knuckles: Part I**

The Master Emerald seemed to taunt him today. It reflected off the sun in just the right ways to give it a personality, mocking him, grinning evilly as it seemed to say _'Hi there. I just wanted you to know that I'm _really_ important, so important that you have to sit guarding me for your entire life. I want to reward you with all your efforts with this deluxe package of absolute nothingness! I do hope you enjoy it!_'

Knuckles hadn't been off Angel Island for at least a week, and he began to harbor resentment towards the large, prismatic object that kept the island floating. In fact, the last time he was off the island was an accident, stumbling off the edge and into the waters below. _I need a break. A nice long break. The Emerald could look after itself for a few days. It has before._ The echidna sighed and leaned back against the altar's steps. He suddenly found himself itching for a good fight. _Be careful __what you wish for, Knucklehead. _ He chuckled, hearing Sonic's voice in his head. _You just might get it._

Knuckles was contemplating a visit to Station Square to challenge his blue friend to a fight when a peculiar light humming sound interrupted his thoughts. He turned around, his violet eyes widening at what he saw. The Master Emerald was glowing, no, _radiating_ large, pulsing, bursts of light. The red guardian stood, immediately rushing over to the large gem and watching as he grew steadily more curious and, (although he would never admit it), lightly frightened.

The humming magnified, turning into more of a rumble, then into a quake, as the flashes grew brighter and more frequent. Then in one large burst of Chaos energy, the Master Emerald released a last bright flash before ceasing altogether. Knuckles had to seal his eyes firmly shut and raise an arm over his face to prevent being blinded, but still saw spots in his vision when he reopened them.

It took the echidna a few moments for his vision to return to normal, but when it did, he could make out an unconscious figure lying near the Emerald. He sprinted over to the figure, nearly tripping on the top step, and knelt at its side. He immediately recognized the orange echidna with the blue bracelets and golden headdress. "Tikal…?" She did not respond, but merely remained unconscious. Knuckles kneeled down and placed his hands on her shoulders, shaking gently to wake her up. "Tikal, are you okay?" _Well, you've done it this time. That's what you get for wanting excitement. _

Tikal's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around curiously. "What? Why am I…?" She seemed to notice the other echidna kneeling above her and took a moment to recognize him. "Knuckles? Why am I outside of the Master Emerald?" She turned, apparently checking to see if it had been broken, or if Chaos had followed her out. Knuckles merely shrugged. Tikal slowly got up, warily inspecting herself for injuries and the land around her for imminent disasters. She seemed surprised at actually having a body, probably due to the fact that the last time she was out, she was only a spirit in the form of a glowing orb.

Knuckles placed his hand on the Emerald, checking for any cracks or pieces missing, but the surface was smooth and unbroken, still catching the sun in just the right ways to mock its guardian. He turned to Tikal, who was recovering from the event, (despite substantial confusion), and spoke in an inquisitive voice. "Tikal, how did you get out of the Emerald? The last time you were out, it had been shattered by Eggman, but right now there's not a scratch on it." The orange echidna seemed to concentrate, putting a hand to her brow. She shook her head. "I don't know. Last thing I remember, both Chaos and I were safe inside the Emerald, when a large pull started to tug on my soul. Next thing I remember is waking up just now."

Knuckles was getting rather frustrated. _Again! Again the Emerald throws something at me that I have no explanation for. Couldn't there be an instruction manual? _"Tikal, try to think. Is there anything you know of that could have done this?" Tikal appeared to go into deep thought for a moment before lightly shaking her head. "Are you sure?" Knuckles pressed, "No… ancient magic or special weapon or… something?" _I mean, it _is_ the Master Emerald. There have to be at least a few artifacts associated with releasing ancient spirits from it._

Tikal squinted her eyes in thought, apparently making a list of every relic and mystic object she knew of. Quite suddenly, her eyes widened, and she mouthed the words _'Oh no'_. "Tikal, what is it?" Her eyes stayed as saucers, her hand rose to her mouth. Her voice was choked with fear. "I think I know what could have done this. I just hope I'm wrong…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Shadow: Part I**

Shadow The Hedgehog disinterestedly adjusted his inhibitor ring bracelets as he approached the main entrance of the GUN headquarters. The woman at the front desk greeted him as he entered, and he lifted his hand in return, halfheartedly attempting to remember her name. _Megan… Michelle… Something starting with an 'm'… _

Just a few hours ago, the Ultimate Lifeform was racing his friend/rival for the yellow Chaos Emerald. Sonic had been trying to get Shadow to accept a challenge for days before, but Shadow was always able to find some excuse, whether it be true or not, (most often not). Eventually, Sonic had shown up at Shadow's doorstep, the former again challenging, latter refusing. In fact, Shadow had just been considering a violent spin-dash right into his rival's chest, (knowing somewhere in the back of his mind he could never _really_ go through with such a thought), before hearing mention of the Chaos Emerald. Yes, Sonic used an Emerald as bait for a challenge, and yes, that irritated Shadow to no end, but Shadow had been without the power boost of a Chaos Emerald for weeks, and he wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by. A call from the Commander on his communicator interrupted them, but Sonic had refused to let it end. The blue hedgehog had taunted Shadow into continuing, which proved to be a pretty effective method. _Damn that Sonic… He always knows exactly what buttons to push._

Shadow seemed to only be able to steer clear of Sonic for _very_ small increments of time, and the Ultimate Lifeform planned to lengthen this time period to _at least_ a full week, even if it meant hiding under a rock. After all, Sonic had recently been making him feel quite…strange. _Come to think of it, I have only felt this once, about Maria…but this isn't really the same…_ Shadow shoved the thoughts forcefully out of his head as he boarded the posh-designed elevator, ignoring the squirrelly man in a lab coat that followed him on.

The ebony hedgehog reached into his red-tipped head quills to make sure the Chaos Emerald was still there as the elevator carried him slowly up to the 79th floor, recognizing his annoyance as it stopped at the 2nd to let out the man whom, were he not blatantly ignoring him, Shadow would have recognized. _Strange. The Commander doesn't even contact his lieutenants directly… It's almost always already gone through at least five other people before it reaches me…_

Shadow stepped out of the elevator, surprised at the absence of the Commander's personal secretary. He approached the office door, listening with his genetically enhanced ears as he grabbed the doorknob. He heard the beep of a communicator being powered down, followed by a small creak, possibly from a chair being leaned back in. Shadow turned the knob and slowly swung the door open, revealing the back of a leather chair behind a large dark wood desk. A small flag bearing the GUN insignia sprouted out of a small hole in the placard that had the word 'COMMANDER' in large, black, letters printed on the side.

Shadow did not particularly like the Commander. Of course, Shadow didn't particularly like many people. This Commander, however, was more tolerable than the last, in the Ultimate Lifeform's opinion, considering the fact that the previous had hunted him down for a personal grudge. This man's mustache did put Shadow on edge, though, for it reminded him of Gerald Robotnik, which subsequently reminded him of Maria, resulting in a momentary pang of heartache.

"Come in, Agent Shadow." The chair rotated, revealing a large, (not fat, mind you, just large), man in a dark blue suit, a pin designating his rank on the left side of his chest. His mustache bristled in a walrus-like fashion when he spoke, fleshy hands twirling a pen with surprising dexterity. Shadow had always disliked being called 'agent'. It made him twitch.

"Commander." Shadow took a few steps closer, consciously keeping his distance from the desk and the bear of a man behind it. There was a chair, but the seat was not offered. If it had been, Shadow probably wouldn't have taken it, anyway. "As you might have already guessed by the absence of my secretary, nobody but you and myself know that you are here right now." The Commander seemed amused at something, as if an inside joke had just passed between his mind and his lips, giving an awkwardly imposing smirk as he spoke. "As you might have also guessed, the information I am about to disclose to you will not be disclosed to the public."

Will_ not be disclosed… Doesn't sound like I have much of a choice… _"Just a few moments ago, I was notified that a young hedgehog was found snooping around in the files." The Commander rose from his seat, neatly placing the pen on the desk as he did so. _Sonic…? No. Why would he need to access the files? Besides, he would never let himself be captured._ The large man walked over to an old fashioned globe in the corner of his office and lifted one hemisphere, revealing a small bar. He poured himself a glass of what appeared to be scotch. "The hedgehog is currently being locked up in the maximum security brig beneath this building." The Commander closed the globe and returned to his desk, once more taking a seat in the leather chair, creating the creak Shadow had heard from outside. "However, that will be known to the public soon enough."

Now Shadow had to admit to some confusion. "If you don't mind me asking, Commander. Why should I not speak of this to outside sources if it will soon be known anyway?" The Commander glared at the Ultimate Lifeform, obviously irritated by the question. " Because that is not what I was referring to. You did not let me finish, Agent Shadow." _*Mental Twitch* _"The information to which I was referring is this." The glare did not dissipate, but instead seemed to grow stronger. A scowl was also added to the package. "I despise your kind. By this I do not mean only hedgehogs. I mean your entire disgusting, weakling race. I mean _anthropomorphs._" He said the word with such strong hate and disgust that Shadow had a sudden urge to dart from the room, not even bothering to open the door first. "In fact, the only reason GUN has any of you…_creatures_ in employment is because it is unavoidable. Not to mention the attention it would draw. Do you see my point, Agent Shadow?" _Stop calling me that! _"However, this will not be the case for long. I already have other plans that have just recently been set into motion, and you can imagine that I would not enjoy anybody or anything getting in my way."

Shadow heard the light click of a button being pushed, but even the Ultimate Lifeform was not quick enough to dodge the small dart that shot out of a well-concealed hole just to the left of the door. It stuck just above his shoulder blade. He turned and attempted to turn the door handle, but was greeted only with a locked door. _Why is my vision becoming blurry? Professor Gerald made me immune to all poisons and tranquilizers. I shouldn't…be…this…woozy… _ Shadow tried to shoot a Chaos Spear, expecting the door to simply fly off its hinges, but the most he could produce was more like a Chaos Splinter.

Shadow collapsed in front of the door, distantly hearing the Commander rise from his chair and walk over to him, his shoes creating a muffled *_whumph* _on the dark blue carpetingas he approached. His voice was sickeningly sweet. "Now, now, Agent Shadow, you can't have really expected me to be so naïve as to use _normal_ tranquilizers on the _Ultimate Lifeform_. No, this serum was specially developed to drain Chaos Energy from the enemies of GUN, and lucky you got to be the first field test. I must admit it worked better than I would have thought. The only test left is to see how effective it is on a larger source. I believe that Chaos Emerald you have should do nicely." Shadow struggled with what energy he had left to move, stretching his hand out towards the door before feeling a large shoe grind into his fingers. He didn't even have the energy to feel the pain. "Oh, no. You're not going anywhere on your own power. It can't be long before you are fully unconscious, and I believe that there is a nice cozy cell awaiting you in the brig…"

**Sonic: Part I**

Sonic and Tails were approaching the GUN headquarters, their plans to rescue Amy in full swing. Sonic was not rescuing Amy because of love, but rather because she was a friend, because she asked him to, and because he knew that if he didn't, she would break herself out and hunt him down for not helping.

Sonic had received the news of Amy's capture by the pink hedgehog herself. She had used her small cell phone that she kept specially for Sonic, and had gone on in his ear about how her being captured was his fault for saying that he didn't love her. He supposed she was referring to earlier in the day when he had claimed to love someone else to attempt to thwart her pushy efforts. Yes, it was a lie, but only mildly so. Sonic had come to think of it as a light exaggeration. _After all, I'm not really sure it's full-blown _love_ yet. I'm still just figuring it out._

The duo stealthily crept around to the back of the towering building, finding the expected lack of a back entrance or windows actually relieving. _Thank you Tails for your uncanny hacking skills. That map we found will make this a lot easier. _ Tails reached into the small duffel bag he was carrying and pulled out a metal pole around a foot in length. He placed it on the ground and pressed the small button on the end. A ladder silently shot out and leaned against the wall about twenty feet up, just below a second story window. "Wow, Tails. When and for what did you make this?" The fox blushed lightly. "Rouge made me make it for her. She said that if I didn't she would spread around that you and I are…" The blush intensified. "…you know…" Sonic just nodded. _If only you knew, little buddy. If only you knew. _

They climbed the extendable ladder and soon reached the aforementioned window, closed and locked as expected. Tails had gone up first for this reason. He pulled another device out of the bag, this one looking much like a laser pointer. The genius carefully pointed one end at the window and pushed a button, causing the device to release a red laser that cut neatly and silently into the glass. "Let me guess, another threat from Rouge?" The small smile and light blush was all the answer Sonic needed.

Tails finished cutting and stowed the laser cutter back into his bag before pushing the round pane of glass in, creating a small *thud* as it landed on the grey-blue office carpeting. He reached in one gloved hand and pried the lock loose. They crawled into the now open window, nearly knocking over an office worker's houseplant in the process. "Tails," Sonic's voice was no louder than a whisper, "are you sure it makes sense to go up to get to the basement?" Tails peeked around the edge of the cubicle they were currently hiding in. "You saw it yourself, Sonic. The only entrance on the ground floor is the front entrance, and that place is camera city." Sonic shrugged and followed the crouching fox down the corridor, glancing into the cubicles as they went by.

The pair reached the elevator door, and Tails once more produced the laser cutter. "Tell me again why we can't just take the elevator like normal people?" Sonic asked in his trademark cocky voice. Tails responded with mild irritation as he concentrated on the Mobian-sized hole he was cutting in the door. "Because elevators have security cameras." Sonic shrugged. "Stairs, then." The twin-tailed fox pulled out a small, powerful magnet with his free hand as he spoke. "This is the jail in the basement of a high security building. You saw the map. There are cameras all over that entrance." _Cameras, cameras everywhere…_ Tails pressed the magnet against the metal as he finished cutting, pulling in the ring and setting it aside.

The next thing to come out of the bag was a long, flexible cylinder of unknown material. "What's that?" Sonic asked, expecting the answer to be something complicated. Tails chuckled. "It's a rope, Sonic." _Oh. A rope. How utterly ingenious. _He dropped one end down the elevator shaft."However, before you ask, the material is a high strength flexible alloy that I designed myself." _Figures._ The other end was tied onto one of the heavy desks that were imbedded deeply into the carpet. "Also, this rope is for your benefit. I'm just gonna fly down." _Gee, thanks. _ Sonic rolled his eyes as the genius crawled through the hole, winding up his twin namesakes as he did so. The blue hero waited for his friend to descend out of sight before grabbing the rope and entering the shaft.

As Sonic began repelling down the shaft, a small fleeting thought entered his mind, catching him quite off guard. _I wonder what Shadow is doing right now…_ It was a simple thought, and one that could have been prompted by anything or anyone, but it was the sheer lack of a catalyst that shocked the hedgehog. He hadn't seen anything to remind him of his friend/rival, but the thought popped into his head nonetheless. _I wonder what Shadow is doing right now…_ The thought caused him to think deeper into it. _Well, come to think of it, that's been happening a lot lately. It hasn't really happened with anyone else but Shadow, though… I swear. He's just a friend. _A mischievously primal part of his mind screamed over the logical thoughts. _**But I don't think that's true. **__I mean, sure I like him and all, but only as a friend. __**Friend? **__He's just a friend. Besides, I'm not… __** Not what? Gay? I beg to differ! **__I'm not gay! __**Then what do you call it, hm? **__It's not…he's a…he's a friend… __** Just admit it, Sonic! You're gay for Shadow! **__No. No, I'm not. I'm not gay. I'm not…_

"Sonic, what are you doing? Is something wrong?" Tails' voice snapped the cobalt hedgehog out of his thoughts to realize that he had been reached the bottom of the shaft and was leaning his forehead heavily against the wall. The fox had already cut another hole, this time in the door to the basement. _How long was I like that? _Sonic pinched the part of the bridge of his nose that was directly between his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine." Tails didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure?" _**Say it! Say it now! **__No! Now is not the time. _"Yes," he replied sharply, "I am _completely _fine."

Tails still didn't appear satisfied with his response, but shrugged and crawled through the hole anyways. Sonic followed, still attempting to keep his conflicting thoughts in check. The duo ducked down in front of the security station as they passed, keeping out of sight of the camera and the B series security robot behind the desk. The information that Tails had gathered showed that the robot was in fact B-127, and while the B series may lack a sophisticated combat system, (especially compared to Eggman's E series), antagonizing one could still definitely leave one with a few bumps and bruises, not to mention laser burns.

Once past the security desk, Sonic and Tails sped up, now searching for cell #37, where Amy was supposedly being held. _I wonder how many of these have prisoners in them…_ As they passed cell #13, Sonic noticed a security camera, its cold eye staring directly at them. He grabbed Tails' gloved hand and sped up, running past the camera's view and stopping near #20. The fox did not seem to appreciate the sudden manhandling, and his voice spoke volumes of irritation as he brushed nonexistent dirt off his yellow-orange fur. "Chaos, Sonic. What was that all about?" The blue hero looked around warily. "There was a camera back there. I'm pretty sure it saw us." The genius shrugged. "Apparently it didn't, or I'd probably be hearing that robot coming at us right about now." They continued walking, Sonic looking behind them in little jerky motions now and again. _I don't know… It sure felt like that camera was looking right at us… __**You're crazy! Nuts! Bonkers! Queer as the rainbow itself! **__Shut up!_

#37 looked like all the others. A large, grey, metal door with a small plexi-glass window that gave a nice view of the darkness within, and a pair of numbers over said window. A magnetic card reader was on either side of the door. Tails checked the handle, finding it locked as expected. He pulled out the last unused items in the bag, two identification cards for the GUN headquarters, and handed Sonic one. The blue hedgehog read the name on his card with amusement. "You used Rouge's security badge?" Tails shrugged. "The card reader reads names, too. I figured she wouldn't mind if I used a copy. Mine's Omega's, before you ask." Sonic chuckled. "Didn't want to face the wrath of Shadow if he found out you used his, huh?" The fox just blushed and motioned to the hero's card reader. They got their cards poised above the slots, and Tails counted to three silently, displaying the numbers on his fingers. The cards came down, and an audible _*click*_ was heard. Sonic swung open the door.

Opening the door did not increase the light in the room one bit. The darkness created a seemingly solid wall that nothing could possibly illuminate. The duo took a few hesitant steps into the room, searching for a light switch, or anything that generated light, for that matter. Once they were a few feet into the darkness, the door slammed shut behind them, causing the duo to jump and instantly turn around before the lights flashed on, nearly blinding all but one of the current inhabitants of the room.

"SONIKKU!" Sonic knew the owner of that voice immediately, and cringed heavily as he slowly turned back around. "Hi, Amy…" The pink hedgehog in the red skirt charged directly towards Sonic, jumping onto him and rather skillfully avoiding his razor sharp back quills. "You came to rescue me! This must mean you really love me!" She pulled away from his unresponsive form. "But you still called me crazy, you meanie!"

Sonic just ignored her and looked around the rather empty room, letting his eyes settle on the unconscious form in the corner, the only one to not be blinded when the lights came on, the person who was on the hero's mind more often than any other recently. He felt Amy again cling heavily to his torso as he gazed at Shadow. _Billions of people in the world to get stuck in a small room with, and I get this._


	4. Chapter 4

**The Commander: Part I**

The Commander approached the GUN headquarters laboratory, eager to see how the latest inventions to exterminate those filthy anthropomorphs were going. Of course, he would never tell the scientists his true intentions, or he'd be out of a job before you could say 'I didn't mean it'. No, they thought they were inventing for THE CAUSE. That was the way it was always said, emphasized in just the right ways to be in capital letters. THE CAUSE sickened the Commander, because he found that it softened people past their usefulness in battle situations. Those fighting for THE CAUSE were the ones that shot at legs first. THE CAUSE didn't make the world a better place, people like the Commander did.

The Commander slid his ID through the magnetic card reader, and the door made a light _*swoosh* _as it slid open, revealing a white walled room with various beakers bubbling and men in white coats jotting things down neatly on papers attached to clipboards. One of the scientists, (presumably the head of one of the sciences, though the Commander was not sure which), approached the authoritative man that had just walked in the door. The scientist was a squirrelly man with a crop of disheveled chocolate brown hair that grew down almost to his shoulders and black rimmed glasses that seemed to stay still no matter how vigorously he were to shake his head.

"Commander," the scientist started, "we heard you were to pay the lab a visit today. I hear you wish to check on the progress of some new inventions." The Commander nodded impatiently and glanced down at the ID clipped to the breast pocket of the scientist's lab coat. The militant man fiercely believed that men who did not present their names when first met were not to be trusted, but let it pass with the assumption that the scientist whose name was Henry Frost was probably heavily intimidated right about now. Still, the Commander was not one to take first impressions lightly.

"Right. I'm here to see the latest advancements to the Anti-Chaos serum." Henry Frost nodded wildly and motioned the Commander to follow him with sharp, sweeping arm motions. "We had problems finding suitable subjects to test the serum out on at first, sir, but we were able to find a specific kind of plant that seems to actually grow using Chaos energy." They stopped in front of a small table, and the Commander noticed the plant that was no doubt the same Frost was describing. It looked very much like bamboo, and had a small blue flower blooming at the top of a stem that twisted in a corkscrew-like fashion. A faint white glow could be detected emanating from it.

"We call it _Chaosal Bambuseae_, or just Chaos Bamboo." Frost stared at the plant in an almost loving way that irritated the Commander to no end. "So, the serum…" His voice was harsh, and snapped the scientist out of his daze in less than a second. "Ah, yes. The serum. As you know from previous reports, the Anti-Chaos serum works somewhat like a poison, tainting the existing Chaos energy within a subject while simultaneously blocking the uptake of new energy, thus preventing its use." Frost grabbed a sharp pair of scissors and snipped off a leaf, causing a small drop of bright yellow liquid to drip from the newly exposed inner flesh. He placed it in a small dish before producing a small water dropper from his breast pocket. "Since power rings seem to have the odd ability to channel and control Chaos energy, we used them as a base for the formula."

Frost walked over to a cabinet and swiped his ID over the high-security magnetic card reader. He continued his explanation as he took a small vial filled with an amber liquid. "After a closer examination of the power rings, we were able to amplify the controlling ability to the point where it was able to completely block Chaos energy from passing through." He opened the vial. "Extracting the essence from the power rings proved difficult, but the discovery of the Chaos Bamboo solved that problem. You see, when the power rings are exposed to the bamboo, the Chaos energy stored within is slowly drained. It's how the bamboo gets its nourishment." Frost carefully inserted the dropper into the vial and extracted a few drops of the serum. "Exposing the modified power rings to the bamboo caused the plant to drain the modified Chaos energy. The modified energy changes the structure of the natural fluids, thus creating the serum." The scientist hovered the dropper over the previously cut leaf. "However, it causes the bamboo to lose its ability to absorb new Chaos energy, so it doesn't live long. This particular plant has not been exposed to the modified rings."

With that finishing statement, Henry Frost lightly squeezed the dropper, allowing a drop of the serum to fall onto the lightly glowing leaf. When the drop landed, the soft white glow instantly faded, and the entire leaf faded from a vibrant green to a dim yellow. Within seconds, the leaf browned and turned inward on itself. The Commander attempted to pick up the leaf, but it just disintegrated at his touch. Frost began replacing the items as he spoke. "Of course, degeneration on a cellular level does not happen as quickly on a full-grown subject, and should not occur at all in any subject that doesn't actually live off Chaos energy."

_I have to admit, I'm rather impressed. Perhaps I could set my plans in motion sooner than expected… _The Commander brushed the leaf remnants off his fingers. "Tell me, what would the harm be on a larger subject?" Frost looked at him quizzically and adjusted his perfectly stationary glasses. "You mean a fully grown human?"

"Indeed. Or any creature of that relative size."

"Well, since we included a high-strength tranquilizer, I would imagine that the result upon awakening would simply be a pounding headache. The lasting effects would be minimal at worst."

Weary and satisfied with this subject, the Commander nodded and strolled casually past the scientist, folding his hands behind his back as he did so. "How about the new discovery? Any new advancements with that?" Frost lifted his finger in a 'wait just a moment' gesture and started off quickly to the other side of the laboratory. When he returned, he was holding a large book that was obviously ancient. The cover had unknown symbols printed in gold on the dark brown material of the binding. The Commander found that he did not particularly want to know what the binding was.

"We have had little progress in translating the language, but we think that it is probably ancient runes of the Knuckles Tribe that lived in the area this was found approximately four thousand years ago. We have determined that the cover is made of some sort of hide, though we have no idea what creature it is from, for the DNA structure is unlike anything we have ever encountered previously." Frost carefully set it down on the table. "It seems to be a vast mixture of creatures in one DNA strand. We found evidence of various reptilian, mammalian, and aquatic genetic codes."

The Commander hovered over the book, making no attempt to touch it. "What species were they? This 'Knuckles Tribe'?" Frost sat on a stool on the opposite side of the table. "I believe they were echidnas, a race that is currently extinct."

"Have you attempted using more modern echidna runes that have already been translated as a base for study?"

"We would have done that, sir, but this is only the second example of echidna runes ever discovered. The first, in the temple at the Mystic Ruins, has never been fully translated."

The Commander sighed heavily in apparent irritation. He reached a hand out to the book, tracing a finger along the edge before slowly opening the cover…and it wouldn't open. Frost noticed his superior's attempt and drew his attention to a small strap that held the ancient object closed. "We have not been able to open the book safely as of yet. If we were to force the cover open, even with the considerable amount of Chaos energy it emanates, the book would be damaged beyond repair."

_My patience is growing _very _thin with this peace monger. _Henry Frost shrunk back as the intimidating man leaned in closer, the fires of anger and frustration apparent in his eyes. "Let me make something _perfectly clear_, Henry Frost, head scientist of GUN. We have a relic in our laboratory _right here _in front of us, practically _drowning_ the room in powerful energy forces. In our laps we have the kind of _mind-numbing_ energy that could put us on the top of the _world, _and you are giving it up so you can help _THE CAUSE? _ You would give up the chance to have this kind of raw _power_ just so you don't harm some old _book?_" He reached out a thick hand and grasped the collar of the scientist's shirt. "I ask you, no, I _order_ you, no matter what it takes, I want that book open on this table _right this very instant!_"

Frost was darting halfway across the room less than a second after the Commander released him, returning almost instantly with a laser cutter. He pressed the button, and was rewarded with only a flicker of red. He pressed it several more times before rushing off to retrieve another cutter, mumbling things like 'Can't they recharge it after use?' and 'Why can't it have more than four uses?'. The scientist returned and slid up to the table with the second laser cutter, face a pure panic. He fumbled the device into position and pressed the button, visibly relieved when the laser shot out and proceeded to slice easily into the unknown material that made up the book's cover and strap.

The Commander watched with a small, pleased smile through the panicked rushing of the head scientist, and once again attempted to open the book, this time rewarded with the cover swinging back easily to reveal the pages yellowed with age. Only a few moments after being opened, the book began humming, followed by a light glow. Frost once again ran across the lab, this time returning with a device apparently used to monitor some sort of energy.

The humming increased to a rumbling and the glowing increased to a flashing as the various scientists around the room either grabbed similar devices as Frost or ran for cover. Then, the din reached a stunning crescendo, and all spectators shielded their eyes from the following burst of bright light. Suddenly, without warning, the book ceased it's personal earthquake and slammed shut, leaving the room at it's normal light level.

Frost was frantically pressing buttons on the energy-monitoring device with an expression of joy and pure excitement on his face. "Sir! The readings I was getting are off the charts with Chaos energy! If this scanner was any less advanced, it would have been fried in an instant!"

In his head, the Commander was already formulating plans. _If we can harness that energy, those anthropomorphs won't stand a chance!_

**Amy: Part II**

It was still the middle of the day, but time was short, and Amy had to find the recipient of Sonic's undeserved love before he left her for them. She had been running through the list of possibilities, but couldn't figure it out.

_Rouge: Not likely. Besides, she _obviously_ has a thing for Knuckles._

_Blaze: Also not likely. She lives in another dimension._

_Tikal: No. She's a spirit trapped in an emerald. That would not happen._

_Cream: Chaos, she's only eight! My Sonic is _not_ a pedophile._

_Vanilla: Cream's mother? Oh, now I'm just getting ridiculous…_

It had taken another cleaning rampage and a few more broken objects before the pink hedgehog came upon a solution. _I know! If I can't figure it out myself, I'll just have to ask around. But…word would eventually spread to my Sonikku…I can't ask just anybody… If only… Oh! I know! I'll go to the GUN headquarters! They keep tabs on everybody, right? I can't just walk in and ask to see the files, though…_

Amy was now calmly strolling into the front doors of the GUN headquarters, approaching the desk with an official-seeming woman seated behind it. "Can I help you?" She had her hair up in a tight licorice bun that sat on her head like a plump fruit, and her dark brown eyes were framed with a pair of sensibly fashionable glasses that she was constantly adjusting with great vigilance. Her red painted lips were pursed as she awaited Amy's response.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could check something in the files." The woman, (Martha, as it said on her name plaque), seemed largely unimpressed. "I'm sorry, but we can't let just anybody rummage through the files. If you had a high-security ID, I would be glad to let you, but I can see that you don't, so I am going to have to ask you to leave." _She's not getting rid of me that easily. _Amy put on her most innocent expression and instantly changed her voice to that of a little kid's. "But you don't understand! My Sonikku is in…" Martha adjusted her glasses. "I don't care if 'your Sonikku' has three arms, I'm _still_ not letting you access those files."

_No. Nobody insults my Sonikku. _Amy Rose's collapsible hammer, (specially designed by Tails, due to heavy threats), now began to slowly unfold itself into her hand. "Do you realize _who_ you are _talking about_?" The officious woman seemed unfazed by the venomous words and the sudden appearance of the hammer, and adjusted her glasses as she calmly motioned to the security guards that were present on either side of the front doors. The pink hedgehog was dragged from the building, desperately trying to swing her hammer through the restraining hold of the guards and shouting things no living creature should have to hear at the woman that insulted her Sonic so horribly.

She winced in pain as the pavement outside made contact with her backside, breaking her out of her frenzied anger. Amy put away her weapon and stood, wiping the gritty asphalt off her skirt. She noticed a small scuff on her usually spotless red boots, and was about to charge back in when a rarely seen calmer part of her mind surfaced. _I'll never get what I want that way. I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but oh well…_

Amy strolled around to the back of the building, attempting to look as casual as possible, despite having just been kicked out of the headquarters of a _very_ powerful military organization. The rear of the building was void of any back entrance, including windows. Amy breathed a heavy sigh and took a few steps back, examining the grey wall that was remarkably untouched by graffiti. About twenty feet up, she noticed an open window, and began frantically doing math calculations in her head. _So, if I can jump about a foot in the air, and my hammer can stretch five feet at the very most, then I need a twelve to fifteen foot platform. What could I _possibly _use to create such a tall platform…?_

Amy looked around the alley that she was in, finding a large dumpster approximately six feet in height, its open lid releasing both drifting papers and a rather foul stench. She hurriedly slammed the lid closed, eager to be free of the horrid smell. _Well, this would be a rather nice start, if I could move it, that is._ A small flicker of habit almost caused her to reach into her pocket and pull out her small pink and blue phone that she kept just for Sonic and dialing her hedgie's number to ask for help, but she quickly dismissed it. Instead, she searched for other options, coming across a rather unorthodox idea.

Gathering up her courage, Amy dug the toe of her boot into a small indent in the side of the dumpster and began to climb, not at all relishing the thought of how dirty her clothes were probably getting. She struggled for a fair amount of time before finally giving one large push, landing her exhaustedly on her back, feeling a slight bowing of the plastic lid beneath her. _Now is no time to rest! Any time wasted is time away from my Sonikku!_

The pink hedgehog sat up, and, (admittedly with a bit of struggling), stood, gripping the wall next to her for support. The wall was about five feet higher from the dumpster, and it was another bout of struggling, interlaced with grunts, before Amy found herself cautiously sitting on the cinder blocks, this time breathing quite heavily. _Maybe I shouldn't do this… I mean, what if I miss? Then what happens? I could be permanently disfigured, beautiful for my Sonic no more! Worse yet, I could die! __Without me, Sonic could find somebody else! I can't let that happen! _Amy was about to climb back down when a thought struck her, paralyzing her where she sat. _But…he already loves someone else. He told me himself. If I don't do this, my Sonikku could leave me forever!_

She stood in a pose of victory, temporarily forgetting that she was balancing precariously on an eleven-foot high cinder block wall, and shouted out to no one in particular, "That's right! I can't allow that to happen! I love my Sonikku, and he loves me! I can't allow us to be apart for even a moment!" And with that, Amy Rose jumped from the wall, falling quickly towards the hard concrete below.

The hammer caught in the open window, and the pink hedgehog slammed against the side of the building with force enough to not only knock the wind out of her, but to crack a rib as well. Amy shrieked in pain and desperately clung to the telescoping hammer with both hands. _All right, you've jumped. Now what? _Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend hung beneath the window, frantically thinking of possibilities, desperately trying to block out the pain in her chest. Her hands began to slip, and she quickly scrambled to find a better grip, feeling her gloved hand brush against something as she did so.

Amy pressed the pink button on the handle of her hammer, and hung on with all her might as the device slowly began to telescope into itself, raising her towards the window as it did so. Her face was a grimace of pain as she felt her cracked rib being pulled along the wall, keeping her eyes as tightly shut as possible.

Amy opened her eyes for a moment, and noticed that the window was directly above her head. She grasped out at the windowsill, grabbing it only milliseconds before the hammerhead began to retract, releasing its hold and plummeting to the ground below. The pink hedgehog winced as she saw her hammer shatter when it hit the hard pavement. Amy dug her left boot into the wall and swung her right up onto the windowsill with great effort, still trying her hardest to block out her pain.

She clambered in the window, knocking down an office worker's houseplant in the process. Her emotions fluctuated from sadness about her broken hammer, to relief from still being alive, to pride from her plan working, to immense pain from her fractured rib. She crawled deeper into the cubicle, welcoming a few moments of rest. _I did it. I did it! Yay!_ She heard the elevator open, and covered her mouth to muffle her labored breathing. "Hey, Henry! Long time no see!" This voice came from the opposite direction, right near where Amy was hiding.

"What are you talking about? I saw you this morning."

"Oh, yeah. That was before you were called to the lab. So, how'd things go?"

"After what I've been through today, I think a stiff drink is in order."

"I figured as much. That's why I already told Jones," (Amy heard a hand hit the wall of the cubicle) "to go down to the Swallow's Den."

"Well, let's not keep him waiting then!"

Amy waited until she heard the elevator door slide closed and peeked around the corner, wincing at the pain of twisting around. Relieved at the sight of a clear hallway, she slowly picked herself up, careful not to move her torso as she did so. She approached the office computer and pressed the power button, giving a small head turn of panic when a loud chime burst out of the speakers.

The monitor flashed to life, requesting a password for access. Amy looked around the cubicle, attempting to find any clues as to what it might be. The desk was overly tidy, and no pictures were tacked to the small board to her right, only reminders and memos. She quietly opened a drawer, rewarded only with pens and pencils. Another drawer, this one occupied by paper clips, rubber bands, and thumb tacks. Another drawer, papers. Another drawer, various cheap snacks. Another drawer, apparently the wastebasket for papers and various cheap snacks. Amy quickly browsed through every drawer, each one seeming more hopeless than the last. Then, in the bottom of the last drawer unchecked, was a photograph.

The photograph was of a bridge, the setting sun slowly sinking into shimmering orange water in the distance. Leaning on the railing with a carefree and cheery grin was a beautiful young woman; her curled blonde locks falling over her eyes. Scribbled in the corner in feminine handwriting was a small note, accompanied by a small heart. _A small reminder of our simpler time. I love you always. Sarah._

She felt suddenly touched as she gazed at the simple photo, for some reason unable to put it down. It took a few more moments before she connected the picture with a note she remembered seeing on the bulletin board. The note only said one word: SARAH.

Amy had to hold back the liquid pooling in her eyes as she typed in the name of the smiling woman into the computer, instantly rewarded with another small chime. _This woman… She really loved him… I wonder what happened to them…_ She let a tear fall, and she wiped it away distractedly as she replaced the photo in the drawer she had found it.

Symbols began popping up over a blank blue background, and Amy browsed through the names listed beneath, coming to a stop at one that simply said 'info files'. She ignored the high-security warning and clicked the small picture of the manila envelope. A small window popped up, showing a familiar face that Amy had grown to not really like all that much. It was now that she noticed the small camera perched atop the computer.

"Jones? Didn't I just see you walk out the door? Why do you need to get into the info files?" Martha looked up, now seeming to fully acknowledge the person on her computer screen. The two newly rivaled people stared at each other with full eye contact, chocolate brown meeting jade green in a surprised glare. Amy quickly closed the window and began hurriedly shutting the computer down.

She rushed out into the hallway, feeling a huge stab of the pain that she had begun to get used to. She twitched her ears as she heard the elevator begin to move upwards, towards its unwitting victim. Amy walked as quickly as she could away from the elevator, but her wounded torso hindered her progress, glazing her vision with sharp bursts of pain with every step she took. _It's getting worse…_

The elevator door slowly opened behind her, but she didn't hear it. All Amy heard was the muffled shouting of voices and a mild _*thump* _as she fell to the floor, her consciousness slowly ebbing away.


	5. Chapter 5

**M-109: Part I**

M-109, a robot designed for multiple uses, dutifully performed the menial tasks it was assigned every day of its existence. The robot didn't mind these tasks, (it was _programmed_ not to mind), but actually found them a reminder of its usefulness. It was aware that the M series lacked a superior AI system, but it didn't care. It found its simple joy in being able to please those who asked it for help.

M-109 turned its purple torso towards the direction of the elevator, its advanced sensors picking up approaching figures. Three guards came into view, two of which were carrying a wounded pink hedgehog on a stretcher. One of said guards approached the desk, and M-109 identified him as being Frank Beaux, a higher-ranking guard than the other two, Benjamin Marx and Ernest Forrester.

"Hey, robot, tell us which one of these is empty." Despite M-109's inferior AI, being referred to simply as 'robot' always grated on its circuitry. The robot was about to state that room #4 was the closest vacant cell, but stopped when it detected the young hedgehog's heavily fractured rib. Something in M-109's artificial self wanted to help the poor girl. Whether it was true concern or simply a part of its programming, even the robot itself didn't know, all it knew was that if the girl was farther away, it might be able to tend to her injuries without unnecessary questions being asked.

"_The cell #37 is currently unoccupied. The prisoner may be deposited there._" The guard rolled his eyes and motioned for those carrying the stretcher to follow him down the long corridor of cells. M-109 could pick up the guard mumbling about how there are forty cells, and how they couldn't have _possibly_ been thirty-six occupied. No, in fact, the only occupied cells were #1, #2, and #3, and M-109 knew _exactly_ what the prisoners in aforementioned cells were doing at all times. In fact, the prisoner in cell#2 was at that very moment scratching a sudden itch above his left collarbone.

You see, what the M series lacked in intelligence, it made up for tenfold with sensor capabilities. Designed by the genius known as Miles Prower at the request of the Commander himself, M-109 and its counterparts of the same model were created to be able to know whether the pie being eaten by someone on the opposite edge of the city was apple or cherry. Yes, while guard duty was not exactly the extent of M-109's capabilities, it preferred it to the alternative. M-107 was liquidated for disobeying orders, and the purple robot had no wish to follow in its counterpart's footsteps.

The guards were returning, and M-109 quickly made itself look busy, organizing papers until it could no longer locate them in the immediate vicinity. It quickly rushed down the hallway, making use of its built in speed-enhancing jets. The robot reached cell #37, and pulled its dual IDs out of a small compartment in its chest, swiping them both on the opposing sides of the door. Opening the door, M-109 saw the young female hedgehog still unconscious on the floor. Its superior sensors reached out, and reported back that the fracture was rather serious. A bone regenerator was required, as well as some painkillers.

M-109 returned to the security desk and placed the first aid items in the same compartment as the ID cards, almost rushing back before it picked up life signs coming down the elevator. The robot quickly made itself look busy as another set of guards carried in another hedgehog, this one black with red stripes on his quills. This hedgehog was not in a stretcher, but was instead just being carried rather uncomfortably by a guard at either side. The guard asked the same question as Frank Beaux, and M-109 was actually plunged into a deep thinking state that lasted precisely 1.7405 seconds.

_This hedgehog is also wounded. While my sensors show that he is only tranquilized, the foreign substance seems to be poisoning his natural Chaos energy, no doubt causing a great deal of pain. If I were to put the two hedgehogs in the same cell, I could tend to them both with minimal suspicions raised. There is nothing in my programming that prohibits the medical tending of prisoners, but I would rather not face the repercussions of the Commander's anger if he were to find out. I had better grab some more medicine._

M-109 turned, stowing away the second bottle of painkillers as it pretended to ruffle papers. "_I shall take the prisoner to the nearest vacant cell. The magnetic card readers are broken at that cell, and I could repair them on my way." _The guard shrugged, (his ID read Leonard Polk), and motioned for his counterparts to drop the black hedgehog that M-109 had identified as Agent Shadow, who had recently only been accepting the occasional rescue or reconnaissance mission. The robot supposed that the Commander didn't like _that_ much.

The security guards gave a halfhearted attempt to set Shadow down lightly, and M-109 winced, (or blinked a sensor eye, rather), when his head made a resonant *_conk_* as it hit the hard floor. M-109 waited for the trio of guards to leave before walking around the desk and gently picking up the unconscious hedgehog in both metal arms. Again M-109 dashed down the hall, stopping once more at #37 to set Shadow down and swipe the IDs.

The robot forgot about the lights when it entered the room, using his advanced sensors to see, and set the hedgehog carefully in the corner. M-109 discovered that the pink hedgehog was stirring behind it, and rushed over to gently keep the young girl from getting up and further hurting her traumatized chest. "_Do not get up. Your rib has been fractured, and movement could damage it further." _She looked confused, and her question of where she was prompted the artificial being to remember the lights being off. It quickly reached to the light switch, causing a temporary moment of blindness as its sensors adjusted to the new light.

The pink hedgehog attempted to crawl away from M-109, before being rudely reminded of the cracked rib. The robot produced the bone regenerator and painkillers and began slowly approaching before a sharp squeal stopped it in its tracks. "_Stop!_ Don't come any closer with that or I'll…I'll…I'll send my boyfriend after you! Then you'll be sorry cuz he's a hero and saves the world and his name is Sonic and he'll kick your butt if you _come any closer with that thing!_"

M-109 remained stationary, offering the bone regenerator out for inspection. "_I have no doubt in the famous Sonic's capabilities, but this is merely a bone regenerator. I plan only to heal your fractured rib and offer a pain relief to both you and Agent Shadow."_ The young girl twisted her head around, obviously avoiding movement of her torso. "Shadow? Why is Shadow here?" The question was to no one in particular, but the purple robot answered anyway.

"_I have no knowledge in why you or Agent Shadow are currently here. I am only a guard. I only wish to heal your injuries and to provide relief from the toxins in Agent Shadow's body." _The pink hedgehog seemed to think for a moment, before a look of realization dawned upon her face. "That's right. I was at the GUN headquarters. I tried to get into the info files. There was some _really_ rude woman and a guy named Jones and…" She patted around her dirty red skirt, apparently searching for something. "…and I broke my hammer."

M-109 held out the medical objects, and the girl nodded, her pink hair waving slightly as she did so. The robot approached and kneeled down, pulling a small cap off the tip of the bone regenerator with mechanical fingers. It could sense her quite understandable fear and nervousness, and decided to try its hand at small talk.

"_What is your name?" _The hedgehog giggled slightly before abruptly stopping. It had obviously caused her pain. "You mean you don't know the names of the people you're guarding?" She said, smiling despite the apparent discomfort. M-109 shook its head. "_Negative. The only prisoner under my watch whose name is known to me at the moment is Agent Shadow._" The girl held out her hand. "Well, then. My name is Amy Rose. What's yours?"

M-109 had positioned the bone regenerator over the broken rib, and shook her hand before responding. "_My designation is M-109._" "A pleasure to meet you, M-109!" The robot took note of Amy's smiling face, and decided to give her a warning before the bone regenerator went to work. "_Be __prepared. The pain caused by the bone regenerator can sometimes be quite great._"

With that, M-109 pressed the button on the device, and a soft blue glow began to envelop Amy's chest, causing her to grip at the fabric of her skirt as the energy began rapidly stimulating the reproduction of the cells in her cracked rib. Her restricted breathing and screams of pain were something that M-109 never wanted to have to hear again. The robot released the button and set the bottle of pills on the ground next to her. "_Your rib has been healed. Use the medicine to rid of the after effects. I must now tend to Agent Shadow._"

It left Amy breathing heavily and trembling on the ground, pulling the other bottle out of its chest compartment and quickly shaking a few out into its metal palm. M-109 heard the pink hedgehog behind it pick up the bottle and twist the cap off, speaking through shaky breaths. "Couldn't you have given me these before?" The robot opened Shadow's mouth and placed a few of the tablets on his tongue before closing it again, letting the dissolving take effect. "_Negative. It has been proven that the medicine can have highly adverse effects when combined with use of the bone regenerator._"

"Oh…" Amy already seemed loads better, and had actually sat up on her elbows. M-109 stood. "_Do you mind if I ask you something, Amy Rose?_" The hedgehog with the newly healed rib nodded and smiled. "After what you did for me, you can ask me anything you want." The robot did not particularly enjoy having to do what he did next, but the thought of M-107 kept flashing through its circuitry, visions of its counterpart's green hull being melted as scrap metal.

"_Do you really think that Sonic will come to save you?_" Amy flashed a smile and pulled a blue and pink phone from a pocket in her dress. "Oh, believe me, I'll make _sure_ he does." M-109 was shocked at the sight, for it would have assumed that the guards would have taken the phone away. However, the robot let her keep the device, no matter how it set with its programming. It did, however, plan to inform the Commander of the pink hedgehog's assured rescue. "_Thank you, Amy Rose._" She pocketed the phone and waved. "No, thank you. Maybe when this is over, we can be friends, okay?" M-109 nodded and closed the door behind it as it left. If the robot had a heart, it would be broken.

**Shadow: Part II**

"Tails, get out that laser cutter thingy."

"Sonic, I told you that this thing had limited uses. Some of the holes I cut earlier were pretty big."

"Fine, then. Amy, use your hammer to bust the door down."

"My hammer? I don't have it anymore. It dropped and broke."

"_What?_ You dropped and broke that hammer? That took me weeks to make!"

"Aw, come on little buddy. You can make another one. Make improvements. I know you like the challenge."

_Be quiet…_ Shadow slowly opened his eyes, feeling the sharp headache as the light pierced into his brain. He gingerly rubbed his temple as he attempted to sort out where he was, and who the people he was with were. He blurrily noticed the only object was a toilet at the back of the fair sized room, leading him to believe that he was in the underground brig beneath the GUN headquarters.

"Hey look! Shads awakes!" Shadow saw the cocky blue hedgehog flash into his still blurry vision, inwardly cursing as he realized that he was trapped in a cell with Sonic, of all people. "Get out of my face, faker." The Ultimate Lifeform had a distinct impression that that sentence was a bit slurred for proper understanding. The next person to approach the black hedgehog was a yellow blur, two objects twitching behind. "Shadow, are you okay? What did this to you?" _Tails?_ The third voice didn't even need an accompanying blur for Shadow to identify who it was. "Like I _told_ you. My new friend M-109 said there were toxins in his body!" _And Amy? Oh, Chaos. Just kill me now._

Shadow saw Sonic, (or the blue fuzzy thing which he assumed to be Sonic), turn around and gesture wildly to the pink blob behind him. "M-109? You mean that security robot out there? You made _friends_ with it?" Although his vision would not permit the detail to see it, Shadow could picture Amy sticking her tongue out at his rival. "Yes! That robot fixed my fractured rib; I'll have you know! It also gave Shadow painkillers to help with the toxins, so HA!" _So _that's _what that weird taste is…_

"And what kinds of toxins, huh? How do you know that that wasn't just a lie?" Shadow's vision was becoming more defined, and he could actually make out Sonic's fawn patch of fur on his torso. "You know, Sonikku, you should be impressed! I broke into a big building, cracked my rib, tried to access the files, and broke my hammer _all for you!_" _Is this who the Commander was referring to? Why was Amy in the files?_ The blue hero's gestures became even more flamboyant. "And since when did I ever say I wanted that? Besides," Shadow saw an arm gesture in his direction, "there are more important things to worry about here!" _Did he just express…concern for me?_

Shadow reached into his head quills, and was rewarded only with a head of quills. The yellow Chaos Emerald was gone, taken by the Commander. He grasped at his wrist, not entirely surprised when he felt only an inhibitor ring. No communicator.

Desperate to stop the obnoxious arguing, the Ultimate Lifeform struggled himself to his feet, brushing off Tails' supporting hand as he did so. "It was a Chaos energy draining serum. The Commander kindly explained it to me before I blacked out." There was no doubt about it; Sonic truly had a concerned look on his face. _He looks kinda…cute like that… WHOAH! Where did _that _thought come from? I _meant_ that the faker looked dumb with that dumb expression on his face. Yeah._

"Shadow, are you sure it's okay for you to be standing? How do you feel?" Sonic took a few steps towards Shadow, and Amy just turned towards the wall, obviously irritated with her interest's lack of attention. Tails just watched from near the door, apparently unsure as to what he should do. Shadow smirked. "I'm fine, blue hedgehog."

Amy's patience seemed to wear increasingly thin, and she dashed up to Tails, shaking his shoulders with gloved hands and nearly scaring the wits out of the poor fox. "You're the genius here! Make an explosive or something!" The genius writhed out of her grasp, brushing nonexistent dirt out of his fur. "It's not as simple as that, Amy. I need _materials_ to make something. I can't just conjure a stick of TNT out of thin air."

Shadow looked back towards Sonic, and was shocked to see that his gaze was still directed towards him. The blue and black hedgehogs' eyes met, and the hero quickly diverted his gaze, attempting to hide a light blush that had noticeably risen to his cheeks. _I wonder… No. That is impossible. He's my rival, and I am simply an artificial being._

Amy appeared to plunge into deep thought for a moment before raising a finger in an 'AHA!' gesture. She reached into the pocket of her considerably soiled skirt and produced a small pink and blue phone, handing it out to Tails. "Here! You can make something out of this, right?" The three boys simply stared, (well, everyone but Shadow. He glared), at the pink hedgehog, letting her give a confused look at them before Sonic spoke. "Amy. We've been trying to think of a way to escape from this cell for about a half-hour, and _now_ you pull out a phone that you miraculously managed to keep?"

She shrugged and offered it again to Tails, obviously missing Sonic's point. The fox shook his head at the ground. "I'm not going to disassemble that phone, Amy. It's a phone. It calls people. Don't you see what that means?" Amy again plunged into deep thought. "Ohhhh…" Sonic nodded. "But, this is my phone for Sonikku! I can't use it to call anyone else!"

Shadow slowly walked away from the wall, consciously aware of the minimal strength in his legs. He approached the pink hedgehog, his hoverskates clicking ominously on the floor in the silence. Their muzzles were about a foot apart when he stopped. "Listen, pink hedgehog. I know that you probably don't have the slightest idea as to _who _the Commander is, but I do, and I can tell you that what he plans to do to us is not going to be pleasant. The less time we spend in this place, the better, so are you going to use that phone, or am I going to have to break the door down with your face?"

Amy blinked in astonishment, and nodded once quickly before flipping the phone open. "Who should I call?" Sonic ran over to Amy, bouncing with what was, (to Shadow, at least), an over-excessive amount of energy. _But it's still kinda cu…dumb. It looks stupid._ "Hey! Let's call Knux! I'm sure he needs a break from that hunk of rock, anyway." Shadow made his way back to the wall and slumped against it, still fighting off a steadily decreasing headache. "This is the GUN headquarters, faker. I would recommend stealth, not brawn."

Sonic was unfazed. "Rouge, then. She could get in here easily." The Ultimate Lifeform sighed. "She's on a spy mission at the moment. I have no idea when she gets back."

"Blaze."

"She lives in another dimension."

"Big."

"Did you really just say what I think you said?"

"Omega."

"He would probably be louder than Knuckles."

"Cream."

"She's _eight._"

"So? Tails was that age when we destroyed the Death Egg. Fine. How about Tikal?"

"Do you know how to release spirits from large gems?"

"Team Chaotix"

"Do you have a substantial amount of rings somewhere in this room? They are also on a mission right now."

"You know, I think you're a stalker, Shads. You know _way_ too much about these people. By the way, couldn't you just use a Chaos speary thingy and knock the door down?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I pay attention, something you should do sometimes. And besides, that serum has lasting effects. I couldn't use a Chaos Spear even if I wanted to, faker." Their gazes locked, creating an awkward silence. Shadow again noticed a light blush creeping into the blue hedgehog's cheeks. _The hero of Mobius, blushing. I hope it has nothing to do with me…I think._

Amy and Tails' eyes were swinging back and forth between the hedgehogs like clock pendulums, and Tails was the first to speak in the oddly sudden silence. "I guess Knuckles is the best option, huh?" Shadow broke the eye contact and looked over at Amy, who had not yet begun dialing. "The number is 908-8795. Tell him to at least _try_ to be stealthy."

"Okay, now I know you're a stalker." "Advanced memory." "Of course. Boast about it, why don't you?" Shadow ignored the comment and simply watched Amy dial and put the receiver to her ear. A few moments of silence filled the room before Amy spoke in a cheery and somewhat squeaky voice that that the Ultimate Lifeform found to be quite piercing to his throbbing headache. "Hi Knuckles! We have a _really_ important favor to ask of you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Knuckles; Part II**

"Amy? What favor…?" Knuckles had been stressed out recently, to say the least. Tikal had been mysteriously drawn out of the Master Emerald, and his only explanation was some dusty old book that probably didn't even exist, and now, the most obnoxious person in Knuckles' life was cheerily squeaking through his phone. _Perfect._

For the last twelve hours or so, the two echidnas had been desperately chanting and reciting spells, and the Emerald had reacted only once. When the spell, (a 'seeking charm', as Tikal had explained), was said, the large gem pulsed once before shooting a beam of pearly white light into Knuckles' chest. It was then that Tikal conveniently remembered that the seeking charm only sought out the rightful guardian. _Well, at least I know that I have no say in my job…_

"Oh, never mind. Just saying hi!" Then, from somewhere behind Amy, Knuckles heard Sonic, his voice apparently rather irritated.

"Amy. Take this seriously, please?"

"Sonikku! Don't you know when your girlfriend is joking?"

"You're not my girlfriend."

"What? You can be so mean sometimes, Sonikku!"

The hedgehogs' argument could have lasted an unknown amount of time longer, and Knuckles had to resist yelling 'Get to the point!' into the phone. Fortunately, a voice that the echidna identified as Shadow, (_Why is _he _with them?_), suggested a 'change of messengers'. It was then that the arguing faded into the background.

"Hey, Knuckles. Sorry 'bout that." Tikal stood from where she was sitting near the Emerald, chanting another spell. "Tails? What the hell is going on?" The orange echidna stopped in front of Knuckles, asking what was happening. He shrugged. "Actually, we kind of need your help…" Tails began meekly, "You see, we're in the GUN headquarters. We're in the lowest basement level." _What the hell?_ "We; Amy, Sonic, Shadow, and me; are in the brig, cell 37. Can you, um, break us out?" _Again, what the hell?_ "Why exactly are you there?" "Well, Sonic and me came to break out Amy, who was caught rooting around in the files, and Shadow…wait, Shadow, why are you here?" Knuckles could picture the inevitable nonchalant shrug. "Anyway, we're in real trouble. Please?" _You wanted excitement._ "Fine. I'll break you out." Tails' voice picked up excitedly. "Really? Thanks Knuckles!" "No problem, kid." "Oh, and Knuckles? Shadow asked for you to try to be stealthy, 'k?" He nodded. "Yeah." "Thanks!" The line closed.

"What was that?" Tikal's voice spoke worry, but her eyes showed a new discovery. "Oh, I just need to go rescue some people that don't usually need rescuing. Any new advancements with the Emerald?" Tikal smiled and ran back to the gem, gesturing for Knuckles to follow. She placed her hand on the smooth green surface. "Well, considering the fact that we have been trying locating spells to no avail, I thought that we should try something a bit different. I remembered a spell from an old spell book. It is supposed to show the lifespan of an object, starting with its creation and ending with its destruction." She closed her eyes and began reciting something that could easily have been nothing more than poetry.

"_The dark of night upon this world, the life of light time has unfurled._

_An object's life shows all its strife, an object's death, it breathes last breath._

_Creator's love time reveals, destroyer's hate, time conceals._

_The age of time, time of age, time itself turns last page."_

The Master Emerald's color faded, and a silent picture began to develop in the center. An orange echidna in a brown robe was depicted hovering over a freshly completed book. The echidna opened the brown cover, revealing new, clean pages with bright gold writing, and began to read aloud. The picture changed to that of Pachacamac, Tikal's father, placing the book in an underground chamber with vibrant pictures painted on the walls. As soon as he left, the room began to age. Vines grew and died rapidly, the paint on the stone walls faded past existing, and chunks of the ceiling fell. The book itself aged very little, only lightly yellowing the pages and collecting a thick amount of dust on the cover.

The rapid time lapse ceased to reveal a group of archeologists bearing the GUN insignia entering the chamber and carefully lifting the book, wiping off the dust. The next picture was that of a modern laboratory. A man in a lab coat ran from across the room with a small device, and sliced the strap that kept the book shut. Another man, this one in a blue suit with a bristly mustache, slid his finger down the cover before opening it. The pages were surprisingly untouched by the astounding amount of time since its creation. A bright light suddenly shot out of the book, showing a new scene when it faded, this one more shocking than all the others.

It was just outside Tails' workshop near the Mystic Ruins. Rushing through the door was Tails himself, followed by Amy and Shadow, carrying a blue hedgehog who looked like he had seen better days. Just then, a huge beast of undeterminable species lumbered into view, lifting a large clawed hand in an obvious preparation to crush the workshop and those inside. It brought its hand down and smashed the building, throwing splinters the size of spears. It was then that the book appeared, charred and burned beyond recognition in a gloved hand sticking haphazardly out of the rubble. Above the glove was a blue bracelet, followed by vibrant orange fur.

The pictures faded altogether, returning the Master Emerald to its normal green hue. Tikal pulled her hand away from the gem, her light blue eyes dancing with deep fear and worry. Knuckles approached the other echidna and gave her a reassuring embrace. "It's okay." He tried to soften his voice to a point of comforting, hiding the concern in his own violet eyes by closing them. "It's okay. That's not gonna happen. It's the future; we can change it to be anything we want, okay?"

He released Tikal, who was nodding her head in small little movements and wiping a tear that had escaped her eye. She walked passed Knuckles and looked up towards the clear sky, squinting against the sun. The echidna raised her right hand in front of her face and nervously ran her left over her bracelet, allowing another tear stream down her face before wiping it away. Suddenly, the clouds in her mind appeared to lift, as if she had thought of something that cleared this entire mess up.

"Knuckles?" She turned and Knuckles nodded. "I don't remember seeing you in the vision. If you weren't with us, then where were you?"

**Sonic: Part II**

_I'm in a locked room with Amy and Shadow. I have someone clinging to me every step I take, and all I really want to do is be with the one who probably hates me. Chaos, I feel sorry for Tails._

It had been an hour since the unorthodox conversation with Knuckles, and Sonic was feeling very pent up. All he really wanted to do at this point, (that didn't include Shadow, that is), was run as fast as he possibly could for hours on end. Amy was squealing at him every few seconds about how inadequate he was as a boyfriend, and all he could do was clarify the fact that he never was or will be her boyfriend. On more than one occasion, Sonic had been glad that she had broken her hammer.

At the moment, Sonic was pacing quickly in circles around the room, Tails was attempting to find a way to recharge the laser cutter, Amy was sulking in the corner from the result of the most recent argument, and Shadow was leaning against the wall, watching the blue hedgehog make his wild rounds. Sonic was understandably unnerved by this, for the look the Ultimate Lifeform gave him was not of the expected annoyance or hate. Instead, an unknown emotion could be seen behind those ruby irises.

"Stop pacing, faker." Sonic stopped, but only for a few seconds to shoot Shadow an incredulous look before starting up again. His voice was harsh, but not nearly as intense as most times in the past, and Sonic had to wonder just what the ebony hedgehog was thinking. _I know what _I'm_ thinking, and I definitely should not be thinking it. __**Say it!**__ Shut up!_

He had been battling his own inner thoughts for the entire time that they had been in the cell, not seeming to be able to go two minutes without the primal inner voice screaming in his head. He had been fighting it with thoughts of escape and rescue, but those thoughts lost their luster in about a half-hour. Sonic then turned his thoughts to those of friends, going through a list of people he knew and wondering what they could possibly be doing. That eventually led to Shadow, however. It was then that he gave up and let himself think about his rival, controlling the irrational urge to scream out his true feelings.

"Why? It's not hurting anybody." Shadow pushed off the wall and approached the frantic hedgehog, forcing him to stop in his circular tracks. "Listen, blue hedgehog." Their faces were mere inches apart, and Sonic fought desperately to stop the heat rushing to his cheeks at the feel of his rival's breath on his face. "If you stop pacing now, I will agree to accept your next challenge, no matter what it may entail. That work for you?"

Sonic turned, now allowing the blush to take its place. "But I gotta _run_…" He walked over and sat near Tails, pretending to take interest in the work done to the laser cutter. Shadow gave a 'hmph' and returned to his spot on the wall.

Amy was twitching, and everyone in the room thought that to probably be a bad sign. Quite abruptly, she rushed to Sonic, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking violently. "Where is Chaos' name is that damn echidna? Its been a full hour and my phone is gonna _die!_ We're not gonna get rescued if I can't _call anybody!_ If Knuckles doesn't hurry his butt over here _right this instant, _I _swear_, I am going to _kill him personally!_ You need to _do something_ Sonikku! Do something! Right this very…" "If you don't let go of him, he can't do anything, Amy."

She released Sonic and shot a death glare towards Tails, making him shrink back into the wall. "Now listen _here_, you little…" A loud thump against the back wall interrupted Amy's rant, prompting Sonic to stand and slowly approach the sound. Another thump resonated throughout the room. Nobody spoke, and nobody moved. _*thump*_ The fluorescent light overhead flickered in time with the sound. *_thump*_ Sonic placed a gloved hand on the smooth concrete of the wall. _*thump* A_ web of cracks appeared beneath his hand. _*thump*_ A few chunks fell to the ground, revealing the rough interior. _*thump* A_ small hole was created, and the blue hedgehog backed up warily. *_crack* *crumble*_

A dusty red figure emerged from the now sizable hole in the wall, brushing the dirt off his fur. A cloud of dust drifted towards Amy, and she coughed dramatically as another, more orange dusty figure followed. "Knux? Why did you just come through the wall?" Knuckles smirked and held up his hand to reveal a metal claw; his signature digger claws. "You told me to be stealthy. This is my own special brand of quiet." Sonic nodded and pointed quizzically towards the second figure. "Why is Tikal here?" Knuckles shrugged. "Perhaps she had better explain."

Tikal straightened her bracelets and began her explanation. "While this may make little sense at first, admittedly even to me, I assure you that I have a point. Around four thousand years before this time, there was a very skilled sorceress in the tribe my father ruled, the Knuckles Tribe. She was the most powerful sorceress that our tribe had ever seen, and she always strove to use her magic for the good of the tribe and the world. Soon, she began to grow over-confident, and began to take her powers for granted. The power poisoned her, made her hungry for more. In her quest for more power, the sorceress created a new book of spells, bound with the hides of all creatures and written in ink made from melted gold. It was called 'Rasha weo furnas shailo', which translates literally to 'The Book of the Third Eye'. She prevented anyone but her from using the book by placing an enchantment upon it that allowed only those with her blood the ability to read the spells within. The sorceress was not satisfied, however, and added another enchantment. This enchantment brought those with her blood nearer to the book, luring them closer so she could kill them and retain her powerful magic. This woman was my mother.

"She attempted to murder me early in my life, but my father, the great chief Pachacamac, stole the book away from her and sealed it in a secure underground chamber. My mother, sadly, was put to death. The Book of the Third Eye was held securely in this underground chamber for four thousand years, before GUN archeologists discovered it recently. It is being held in this facility right this very moment. I know this information from a timeline spell. When the scientists opened the book, the enchantment was activated, and someone of my mother's blood was summoned. Since I am the only one of her blood who can translate the language whose soul has remained intact, I have been drawn out of the Master Emerald in a form that could read the runes. This is why I have retained my body.

"The book is very dangerous, and my father's advisors strongly fought to destroy it, but he felt that someday it might be used for good. He said that such power in the hands of our tribe could place us on top; it was that mentality that later prompted Chaos to destroy him. The Book of the Third Eye contains many spells that have dark and evil roots. In the wrong hands, the spells within could destroy this world of Mobius. One of said spells is the only one that my mother had managed to cast before she was put to death. It is known as 'Juloa deamoa sheom', or 'The Black Demon Summoning'. It is said to summon the Black Demon from the depths of the netherworld, and my father told me many stories of the battles against the fearsome beast. If GUN manages to summon the Black Demon, Mobius will be in grave danger. We must get our hands on the book before it is too late, and destroy it to prevent future misuse!"

All occupants of the room, (excluding Knuckles and Shadow), had blank looks of shock and mild confusion plastered on their faces, and Sonic just couldn't resist a joking crack. "Wow. I ask one little question and this is what I get." Shadow didn't roll his eyes, but his voice implied that he was thinking it. "This is serious, faker. I thought that even _you_ could see that." Sonic didn't respond; he could only shiver at the sound of his secret crush's voice.

"Guys! Don't you see what this means?" All heads turned to Tails. "The book is in the GUN laboratory. We're already here! Knuckles, you can knock down the door!" The red echidna approached the door, but Shadow had already walked in front of it, blocking his path. "If we want to do this properly, we can't go busting down doors. I could have done that thirty minutes ago if it was a good idea." Amy again got rapidly hysterical, and again grasped an unsuspecting Sonic, even though she was talking to Shadow. "You could have had us out of here a _half_-_hour ago!_ You _lied? _What the _hell?_" "Like I said, if it were a good idea, I would have. Also, I would suggest you release the blue hedgehog." _Wait…was that…concern…? __**DAMMIT! JUST SAY IT! **__Shut the hell up!_

Amy did not release Sonic. On the contrary; she gripped his arm tighter. It was getting to be quite painful. "Amy. Seriously, let go of my arm. It's gonna bruise." She was about to open her mouth for a retort, but was cut off by Tails. "I think I may have found a way to charge the laser cutter enough for one use. I've modified the charger to absorb and use Chaos energy instead of its normal crystal power source. Shadow, if you could use your abilities to recharge this, we might have a quiet escape alternative." Shadow shrugged and took the offered device. He placed his hand over the opposite side from the laser, presumably the location of the recharge outlet. A green crackling passed between his fingers and the device for a few moments before he handed it back to the fox.

Tails thanked Shadow and approached the door, crouching down and positioning the device in a spot just below the small window. "This will probably fry the lens…" He pressed the button, and a thick green laser shot out as opposed to the accustomed red. The power was substantially increased, and the hole was completed in half the time as the previous holes. Tails carefully maneuvered the newly cut circle of metal out of the hole and placed it silently on the floor.

Knuckles attempted to crawl through the hole, but was cut off by a fawn-coloured arm. "Wait. That robot is still out there. We need to be quiet." A pink hedgehog stepped ahead of them and quickly ducked through the door, into the hallway beyond. "Oh, Sonikku! I _told_ you. M-109 is my _friend_." Sonic reached out his other arm and grabbed the hem of her skirt. "Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that it's supposed to be _guarding us_," he hissed.

Tails squeezed by Amy and into the hallway, untouched by Sonic, for the blue hedgehog only had two arms. "Actually, when I designed the M series, I made it to have the most advanced sensors in a robot in that time. If that really is an M series robot out there, it has known exactly what we have been doing this entire time. Since it takes no action, I have no other choice than to believe Amy's claim of friendship."

"Tails, that's a _robot _out there. They are not…" "Not what? Capable of feelings? How do we know that's true? Look at Omega! There's a robot that was designed by Dr. Eggman himself, and now he works for GUN and has multiple friends. He's even a _he_! Most robots are just it, but he chose to be a _he_. I don't know whether it's feelings or something else entirely, but robots are most definitely sentient!"

The room was silent, and Sonic could feel eyes moving between him and the fox, waiting for the next words. The sadistic voice in the back of his head beckoned him with the thought that Shadow was probably looking at him right now, his ruby eyes traveling across his body… _Shut up! Now is not a __good time!_ Finally, after what felt like a full hour of silence, he slowly released his hold on Amy's skirt and lowered his arm from in front of Knuckles' chest. "I may not enjoy it, but Tails is right. Amy, you go first, but walk slowly."

She flashed an obnoxiously cheerful grin and walked happily past Tails, who was still seething from his uncharacteristic outburst. One by one they followed, Sonic taking up the rear, directly behind Shadow. As they continued warily down the hallway, the hero of Mobius became increasingly aware of how uncomfortable his rival/crush's presence was. His thoughts pounded at the sides of his mind, begging for release. He pushed them back with a large amount of effort and desperately tried to think of something else.

Sonic picked the first three words he thought of as a basis for a topic. They were 'Shadow', 'confess', and 'jacket'. The first two did not help his predicament, so he thought of jackets. However, one can only think of such a dull topic for so long, and soon his thoughts were again breaking down mental doors. They broke down the wrong door, and Sonic decided to tell Shadow how he felt about him, right now, as they passed cell #8.

He nervously put a gloved hand on the nape of his neck and desperately fought to keep his blush at bay, finding words hard to come by. "Um…Shadow?" The addressed hedgehog whirled around, his ruby eyes boring holes into Sonic's head. It didn't particularly help his verbal dilemma. "I…just…um, I just wanted t-to…" Shadow held up his hand, halting the sputtering. "Faker," his voice was harsh, but not abrasive when he spoke, sending shivers down Sonic's spine, "we don't exactly have the time for this. Say it now fast, or say it later."

_Come on, now is the time! You can do this! I mean, what's the worst that could happen? He probably doesn't really like me that much…maybe I would be hurting the friendship we already have… That would hurt me too much. I don't think I can do this… __**NOW! SAY IT!**_

Shadow seemed to lose his patience, turning to catch up with the others, who had already turned the corner. Sonic shot his hand out, grabbing his crush's arm and stopping him from going any further. "No! Shadow, the truth is, I…" Suddenly, a brief scream echoed through the hall before being abruptly cut short.

Sonic had not moved, nor had he released Shadow's arm, and he found himself the recipient of a harsh glare before hesitantly releasing the red-streaked appendage. They rushed around the corner after exchanging a nod, only to be greeted by a shocking sight. Behind the security desk, the purple-hulled robot they had come to know as M-109 was unconscious, small jolts of blue electricity still crackling around its body. On the other side of the desk was the Commander of GUN himself, as well as about six high-ranking guards,

all holding a prisoner, the only one conscious being a struggling Amy to the right of the hulking mustached man, a knife pressed to her throat. The Commander, as well as all his guards, had a gun aimed squarely at the heads of the new arrivals.

"Now, who ever said I would let you escape? Agent Shadow, and the famous Sonic. Having you two in my custody is just too much to pass up. You see, when the general populous hears that their hero was breaking prisoners of the law out of the GUN headquarters, I do believe that you won't be such a hero anymore." Sonic felt an arm restrain him from charging the man, and looked over to see Shadow, as calm and collected as ever. "You of all people should know, Commander. Never reveal your plan to your enemies."

The Commander shrugged and waved the gun in his hand nonchalantly. "Oh, it doesn't really matter. You see, I plan to have you all publicly executed for resisting arrest, attempted murder, and just about every other offense you can imagine. I simply don't want you to be in the dark about your inevitable deaths." There was a beat of silence, before Amy squealed out, "Sonic! Run! Go back through the…" She was cut off by a sharp decrease of the space between her neck and the knife.

"Let it come." Sonic stared at Shadow incredulously. "What? What the hell are you doing, Shads?" The question was ignored, and the Commander made a small hand motion towards the guards. He sighed dramatically. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, I can't have you conscious." He shot a dart dripping with amber liquid at the Ultimate Lifeform, causing him to drop heavily to the ground only seconds later. "It complicates things." Sonic felt a sharp pain in his neck, and vaguely recognized the ground as he hit it moments later. He heard Amy scream before his vision faded black.


	7. Chapter 7

**M-109: Part II**

M-109 had reported to the Commander a few hours previous, and the plan that it had been briefed on had gone off with without the slightest hitch. Before the arrival of Sonic and M-109's creator, the robot had altered the files to show that the robot currently on guard duty was B-127, allowing it to use its sensors without suspicion. It had also turned the security camera outside of cell #13 at the Commander's orders. The man had told M-109 that he had heavy doubts in the robot's performance capacity, and that he wished to have a secondary plan for himself. For this reason, the Commander also held a button for the device rigged to close the door of cell #37 at a distance.

When the time had come, M-109 had carried out the plan as ordered. Several times it hesitated to do the things asked of it, a picture of the wounded pink hedgehog that had asked to be friends flashing through its circuitry. However, it was the inevitable following picture of the fallen M-107, the once green hull melting into raw metal, that pushed M-109 forward, the ever-present fear of liquidation never far from its mind.

The purple-hulled robot had monitored everything that was happening in that room. It reached out with its sensors and saw Amy Rose arguing with the famous Sonic, and once more had a pang of guilt and regret at betraying its new friend.

It knew about the Commander's plan to execute the prisoners publicly, and was viciously battling its minimal conscious. Did the robot save itself from being liquidated and transformed into guns, or perhaps another robot, and see these innocent beings die to prove a point, or did it help them and follow in M-107's footsteps? M-109's decision would have been the former, had two echidnas not burst through the wall of cell #37.

M-109 was, in fact, just about to alert the Commander when it heard one of the echidnas begin an explanation. The robot listened intently, and was shocked to find out about the power that was being held in the building they were now in. It decided to wait. If the prisoners escaped, then M-109 had made its decision. It wanted to stick by its friend.

It just watched as Miles Prower cut open a hole in the door with a large concentration of chaos energy. It observed as the hero of Mobius restrained one of the echidnas and Amy Rose. It listened as its creator defended its friendship to the pink hedgehog, and was grateful to him for doing so. The group made their way down the hall, and M-109 realized that the security camera was still operational.

The robot whirred around, moving its robotic limbs as fast as they could go to deactivate the camera before it was too late. It punched in one security code after another, desperately tapping away on the keyboard. M-109 reached the final security code and frantically typed the numbers in, but it was only rewarded by a flashing of the word 'DECLINED' in large, red letters. It tried again, with identical results. _The Commander doesn't trust me. He changed the password._

M-109 turned back to the desk to see a small, blinking, red light. The group had passed cell #13, and the Commander had just seen it happen. The robot quickly reached out with its sensors and saw that Sonic and Agent Shadow had stopped just around the corner, near cell #8. Amy Rose came bounding around the corner, flashing a large grin at the frazzled machine. "Hi, M-109! I was wondering if you would happen to know where we might find…"

"_Amy Rose, you must run! Go through the tunnel, quickly!_" The others rounded the corner, and Amy Rose's concern was apparent on her face. "What's wrong?" M-109 sensed the elevator door open, and it motioned wildly with metal hands. "_Run! All of you! Hurry! Run back to the tunnel! You do not have much…_"

M-109's circuits were instantly scrambled from the electromagnetic dart that had pierced its metal hull. Pictures flashed haphazardly through its circuitry, erasing some data entirely, and leaving others as faces without names. Its consciousness was crackling away quickly, and the last thing M-109 heard before the darkness consumed was the brief scream of a pink hedgehog that had lost her place in its memories.

**The Commander: Part II**

The Commander had made many a speech in his day. He had made speeches to rally, to congratulate, and, on occasion, to demoralize. This speech, however, was possibly the most important speech that he would ever make in his entire life. This speech would finally make his world a better place, and once and for all destroy everything he despised.

The man who was supposed to introduce him was finishing his preparations many stories below when Henry Frost, the head scientist of GUN, entered the plush office and approached the Commander. To tell the truth, the Commander had truly come to dislike the man in the stationary glasses, but he had come to terms with the fact that the power within the mysterious book would be much more difficult to obtain without his help. Therefore, Frost's statements were some of the few that the Commander would listen to with any amount of interest.

The scientist was not in his customary lab coat, but instead wore a brown suit, no doubt to commemorate the occasion. He approached the Commander from behind, obviously nervous about saying anything. The mustached man was adjusting his tie and glanced at Frost in the mirror he was standing in front of. "Frost, my patience is thin. What do you wish to tell me?"

Frost's nervousness dissipated, and he quickly responded, stuttering at first. "V-very sorry to bother you, sir, but we have made a shocking discovery." The Commander finished adjusting his tie and peered out the window at the pulsing crowd below before walking towards the door. "The crowd is getting restless. Tell me in the elevator." He did not wait for Frost, but instead quickly strode to the elevator, pressing the button and watching the lights above the door rise to the number 79. The scientist followed his orders perfectly and waited until they were both inside the closed elevator before he spoke.

"Sir," he began, "it seems that two of the prisoners are echidnas." The Commander was irritated with Frost already, and it had not even been five minutes. "I was aware of that, Frost." The scientist tried again. "Sir, I do not believe you understand. You see, we had thought that echidnas were extinct." "And…?" "Well, sir, the female seems to have bracelets that are identical to ancient artifacts that were found in the ruins of the temple near where the book was found. This girl may be able to read the runes in the book."

The Commander was excited, and he felt like shouting out in triumph right there, between the 38th and 37th floors. However, emotions were a sign of weakness, so he simply nodded his head authoritatively. "Excellent, Frost. Have her transferred to the laboratory containment facility immediately after I am through with this." "Yes, sir." When the duo arrived on the ground floor, the introduction speech was just beginning. The Commander approached the door, silently awaiting his cue. Frost remained near the front desk.

"…all those years ago. GUN has always been here to protect and serve, no matter what sort of problems may arrive. GUN is here, not for Mobius, but for the _people_ of Mobius. But it is not the organization that protects, it is those serving within. That is why I am here this morning to introduce the Commander of the GUN headquarters!"

The crowd cheered, and the Commander calmly exited the building. He approached the podium, putting on a false smile as he shook the hand of the man who introduced him. He waited patiently for the crowd to quiet down before leaning forward into the microphone and glancing over to the cameras that were scattered around, broadcasting live. The Commander used his most calm and trustworthy voice, keeping the smiling façade always in place. _This is it…_

"People of Mobius, citizens of Station Square, my fellow _humans_; I have called us all together today to bring your attention to a very serious and pressing matter. You know that it always has been and always will be in GUN's best interest to protect the general populous, humans and anthropomorphs alike, and it is therefore with a heavy heart that I inform you of these happenings.

"Yesterday, a young anthropomorph was found attempting to break into high security files. I am not at liberty to say exactly what the files contain, but I can say that the information could be potentially dangerous in the wrong hands. The anthropomorph was skilled in matters of stealth, and had knowledge of the computer security passwords, suggesting outside assistance, perhaps an entire society.

"After the young anthropomorph was safely in custody, an attempt on my life was made. Agent Shadow, an agent who has helped to divert countless disasters over the years, broke into my office and held me at gunpoint, demanding that I release the newly captured prisoner. I was lucky to escape with my life, thanks only to a flaw in aim." The Commander reached up to his shoulder and pretended to wince in pain as his fingers made contact.

"Both anthropomorphs were held safely in the brig for several hours, until a rescue was attempted, damaging a valuable robot in the process. The duo that attempted the illegal rescue was the most shocking part of this entire ordeal. One of the two was Miles Prower, who has been instrumental over the years in inventing countless helpful devices for GUN. The second of which was Sonic the Hedgehog himself, the one who has saved the world countless times in the name of peace. What times are these when your heroes are the ones putting your families in danger? These once honorable beings are now the ones breaking the law.

"How can you and your families, your _children_, be safe when those protecting are the same attempting to assassinate innocent people such as myself? If there is an underground society, then I propose that it is rooted out and destroyed before any lives are taken; before any blood is spilt. This organization of anthropomorphs has already proven to be hostile. If we attempt peaceful negotiations, it may only result in riots and brawls in the streets.

"However, it will not be as simple as asking who is in the society and who is not. I realize that GUN has not had a very trustworthy history. I know that my predecessor was apprehended on suspicious terms, but I must implore you all to help us apprehend these lawbreakers. Furthermore, I propose that all anthropomorphs should be heavily monitored at all times. If any suspicious activity is reported, then I propose that the subject in question should be taken into custody immediately, or publicly executed as an example for any other anthropomorphs that might follow in their footsteps. I plan for my blood to be the only human's spilled in this entire situation.

"All those listening, out there in the crowd or at home in front of your televisions, I find these acts appalling, and I will do my best to protect each and every one of you, but in return, I must ask you to do your part. If you see an anthropomorph acting strangely, or if you hear an anthropomorph saying anything suspicious, I ask you to please report it to the nearest GUN soldier in the vicinity. They will take it from there, and you will have saved countless lives. I promise you, this will end well, and all humans shall be safe. Whatever the anthropomorphs are planning, they will not get away with it! Join me, my fellow men, and let us secure our rights as humans!"

There was little pause before the crowd erupted into applause and cheering. The Commander walked away from the podium, still smiling sweetly. Back inside, he stripped the façade and approached Henry Frost. The crowd was still deafening. _Even THE CAUSE can be altered…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Blaze: Part I**

Blaze was becoming more and more irritated with the Sol Emeralds. There was always _something_ wrong with them. They could never be predictable. They couldn't even be a conversation-starter at parties, because she was always too busy guarding them to _go_ to any parties. _I don't care how important they are, I just wish they'd leave me alone once in a while._ It had been nearly a year since the last serious problem with the emeralds arose, and Blaze was just beginning to think that _maybe_ she could leave them to take care of themselves for a couple days. A nice vacation was really what she needed.

But of course, right as the purple cat was beginning to relax and maybe have some actual _fun_ for once in her predestined guardian life, the yellow Sol Emerald had to go and get unpredictable on her. It was just sitting there like the emeralds normally do, when the color began to fade away, just disappearing into what seemed to be oblivion. And if the color draining wasn't enough, the Sol energy had to go and drain also, sending all of the other gems into various positions across the globe with the sudden imbalance of energy.

'Those damn things', as Blaze inwardly called them, were really getting on her nerves. Now she had to go and find them all again before she could even _think_ about rejuvenating the yellow gem. All was actually going pretty well, and Blaze was able to locate and obtain the red Sol Emerald before noon. But, like the obnoxiously unpredictable emeralds they were, it had to transport her to _this _place. _This_ place was one that had people she knew could help, true, but it also had Dr. Eggman, someone Blaze had begun to think of as possibly _more_ irritating than her nemesis Eggman Nega, if that was at all possible.

The exact location of where she had been teleported to was the middle of the street, and the sight was not a pretty one. Everywhere she turned, all that could be seen were humans, giving her the dirtiest looks that they could manage. A large van with barred windows drove by on the lane next to Blaze, and she could see faces within. The faces were angry, sad, confused, and largely afraid. Then she noticed something. There wasn't a human anywhere among them.

She backed up quickly onto the sidewalk, nearly bumping into one of the angry humans. That was apparently all they needed. A group of soldiers in uniform burst out of the nearest building, running maliciously for her. Blaze ran. She ran through unfamiliar streets, not stopping once as she did so. Passing by an alleyway, she seized the opportunity and jumped in, concealing herself as best she could in the shadows.

The cat princess waited until she saw the group of military men pass by before igniting a small flame in her hand. It was an average alleyway, dumpsters lining the walls and garbage strewn about the ground. Suddenly, a door opened across from her, revealing a large man in a chef's uniform. She closed the flame into her hand and shrunk back into the darkness as far as she could go.

The round man pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. He placed the small tube of tobacco between his lips and reached up with the lighter to start it burning. It took a few tries, but when the lighter finally caught, it lit up the alleyway in a dim, flickering light. The chef's eyes froze on the purple cat in the shadows, allowing the cigarette to fall from his lips and onto the garbage at his feet.

Blaze stood and tried to appear humble and innocent. "I'm sorry, but could you perhaps explain to me what is going on here? I'm very confused." The man backed up into the doorway a few steps, the fear apparent on his face. "Don't come any closer! The Commander told us about your society! Just don't you dare… Help! Quick! I'm being attacked!"

If Blaze wasn't confused before, then she definitely was now. She had not moved an inch aside from standing, and this man was acting as if she had just roasted his hat right off his head. The man was still yelling when soldiers appeared in the entrance to the alley, blocking the cat's escape. She ran further into the alley, making a turn before abruptly hitting a slimy brick wall. _I _really_ would prefer not to have to hurt these people. Wait… The Sol Emerald! Maybe it can teleport me again!_

Blaze frantically reached into her pocket and pulled out the red gem before putting it high into the air and closing her eyes. "Teleport me, you hunk of rock!" She still heard the yelling of the chef and the clomping of the soldier's boots. "I really need to learn how to control that." A soldier rounded the corner, and just as Blaze was about to throw a large fireball at the man's head, a dart was shot from the gun he had aimed at her neck, hitting quite a bit further right and down than intended. It made contact with her arm, draining the flames she struggled to create. Her flames extinguished, Blaze fell to the cold ground.

**Tails: Part II**

Tails was in a cell identical to the one that they had just been contained in, minus the convenient tunnel. When the guards had captured them this time, they had actually taken away all of his gear, and probably Amy's phone, also. The fox found that he was not alone very quickly. When Tails had become aware of his surroundings, he had also become aware of an orange echidna speaking indistinguishable words above his head.

"Um, Tikal…?" Tikal jumped back, a brief look of shock and fright quickly replaced with joy and pride. "I knew it would work!" she exclaimed ecstatically, "That healing spell was a success! How do you feel, Tails?" He rubbed his head gingerly. "Apart from the headache, I'm fine," he looked around and noticed that he and Tikal were the only ones present, "but, where are the others? Sonic and Knuckles?"

The echidna turned and placed her hand on the wall, closing her eyes in apparent concentration. "I can feel the chaos energy rippling in the cell next to us, showing that that is where Sonic and Shadow are, and I can sense Knuckles on our other side. I can only hope that Amy is safe there with him." Tails approached the door and cupped his gloved hands around his eyes, peering through the glass. A face stared right back.

The young kit scrambled backwards, letting out a small shriek and catching Tikal's attention. "T-there's a-a-a f-face…" The echidna appeared completely unfazed. "Yes, it seems that after we escaped last time, they have posted guards outside the cells. However, I fail to see why there are two people for each cell." _Good point. You'd think that they'd want us split up… unless…_

"The Commander is planning something. He put two to a cell because he wanted to make room. They're going to arrest a lot of people." Tikal looked confused and frightened, resembling a mouse that had just been nearly stepped on. "But, what on Mobius could he possibly be…"

A click was heard at the door, and both inhabitants of the cell retreated swiftly to the far wall as the door swung open to reveal a man in glasses and a brown suit, accompanied by two guards. The man entered the cell and introduced himself as being Henry Frost, head scientist, before motioning to Tikal. "Marx, Forrester, transfer this prisoner to the laboratory holding cell. Do be gentle, she is important."

Tails took a step forward, assuming his most intimidating stance. This stance, (as Sonic had told him many times before), was not intimidating, to say the least. In fact, the fox could have sworn he saw the guard addressed as Forrester suppress a chuckle. "Why do you want Tikal?" Frost was sincere and almost guilt-ridden as he responded. "Her bracelets show that she is of the Knuckles tribe. We need to know if she can read runes. I assure you, I will not harm your friend." A look passed between the two genius scientists, and it communicated just how much neither of them had much of a choice.

Tails kept his stance, but did not move as the guards entered and placed metal cuffs just above Tikal's bracelets. They dragged her off, but the fox shot her a look that said 'don't worry, I'll find and rescue you'. The guards left, but Frost stayed a moment before following, using the moment to give a heartfelt apology to Tails.

That had happened about an hour ago, and the genius was about to fall into a sleep of boredom when one of the guards from before, (Marx), entered with another prisoner in tow. The captive was thrown harshly on the ground before Marx left without a word. Tails recognized the prisoner immediately.

"Blaze?" Indeed, it was Blaze, and the purple cat showed no hesitation in heating the cuffs around her wrists, letting them fall to the ground in a red-hot lump of metal. It wasn't until the cuffs were completely off that Blaze even acknowledged that there was another person in the room. Even then, it was just a casual glance in Tails' direction. "Hello, Tails. I assume that you want to know why I am here?" The fox nodded. "Yeah. What's the deal?"

Blaze shrugged her shoulders and began her explanation. "There's a problem with one of the Sol Emeralds; like that's anything new. It's the yellow emerald. It was just sitting there, all yellow and powerful like, when just out of the blue all of the color drained and the Sol energy was rapidly depleted. So, since whenever there's something wrong with the emeralds, it always has to do with your dimension, I hustled on over here to see what could be done." She motioned to the twisted metal on the floor. "I was just walking down the street, and some guy shot me, snapped _these_ infernal contraptions on me and threw me in here. But I can tell you what: I'm not staying here long."

Blaze walked over to the wall that Tikal had sensed Knuckles through and placed her hand on the smooth stone. After a few moments, the wall underneath her hand began to glow bright red. "Blaze! Stop! There are guards outside!" The cat ignored Tails' warning, continuing to heat the wall to intensely high temperatures. She was showing signs of immense strain, but still she refused to stop until the wall was almost liquefied. Blaze collapsed to the floor, leaving the large, glowing spot on the wall exposed.

Tails rushed over to her, checking all vital signs and making sure that she was fine. Blaze just brushed him off, a look of tired irritation washing over her. "I could normally melt this wall in minutes. Whatever was in that dart sure did a number on me." She seemed to remember something, and began frantically searching her person. "Damn! The Sol Emeralds! They're gone!"

"What? You brought the Sol Emeralds with you?" Blaze waved him off and stood. "Don't get your tails in a twist. I only brought two." Tails reached up and grabbed Blaze's shoulders, communicating the importance trough his stare. "It doesn't matter if you brought one or all seven. You should know this, because it has happened before. An imbalance of the energy forces is _very_ dangerous. If the planet doesn't have the right amount of Chaos, or Sol, energy in _any_ dimension, it could result in the _destruction of Mobius_."


	9. Chapter 9

**Shadow: Part III**

Shadow again woke up in a cell with a headache. _When this is all over, I plan to never come down here again._ This time, however, instead of three highly annoying people with him, there was only one. When Shadow awoke, Sonic was pacing in tight little circles. "Quit it, faker." Sonic stopped pacing and smiled at the Ultimate Lifeform. "G'morning, Shads! 'Course, it's more like noon, now. Who'd have thought you were an over-sleeper?"

The ebony hedgehog had never really liked the nickname, normally insisting that 'Shads' was not his name. Recently, however, he had stopped caring, and had even begun to enjoy it. When Shadow realized this, he was quite shocked, and it caused him to reevaluate his relationships. This led to even more shocking revelations, and he stopped instantly. Instead, Shadow gripped his throbbing head and stood, wobbling a bit when he did so. "I was tranquilized. You would 'over-sleep' too."

Sonic shrugged and continued pacing. _Chaos. He is so…contradictory._ ""Admit it. You like that about me." Shadow was taken aback, and he had to remind himself that Sonic couldn't read minds. "What?" the hero chuckled. "I know that you were probably thinking how I always go against what people say." _Okay, so maybe he _can_ read minds. _""Only yours, Shads." Shadow leaned up against the wall tiredly. "Cut it out, faker. You have no idea what I was thinking." Sonic plopped to the ground at sat cross-legged, looking dejectedly at the Ultimate Lifeform. "You're so mean." The only response was a simple 'hmph'.

Silence filled the room, soon becoming palpable enough to slice with a knife. The blue hedgehog was becoming restless, and Shadow knew that he had to say something to break the silence before Sonic exploded. "Faker, when we were back in the hall before they caught us, what were you going to say to me?" Shadow saw the blush rise to Sonic's cheeks, and he had to beat down the sudden, unknown emotion that rose into his being.

"Um… It's… It's not important." However, by the way the hero was blushing and fiddling nervously, his statement was anything but the truth. Shadow sighed heavily. "I hate it when people don't tell me things. Whether it is important or not, you are going to tell me before I beat it out of you." Sonic looked around the room, anywhere but the fiery eyes burning him with their gaze. "Well, I just… Can you promise that we'll still be friends if I tell you this?"

Shadow was shocked at even for a moment being considered the blue speedster's friend. "Perhaps you should tell this to Tails. I don't think that I am a…" Sonic looked panicked. "Yes! Shadow, you are a friend to me!" The black hedgehog felt the blood rush into his face and that same unknown emotion rising, this time a bit too strong to beat down. "Yes. I'll always be your friend…" _What am I saying? I'm not his _friend_! What the hell are these damn feelings?_ "Shadow, I…like you. And not just like as a friend, I mean I _really_ like you. I don't think I'm gay or anything like that, but I just… I can't stop thinking about you."

The Ultimate Lifeform was too shocked for words, but even if he _did _have something to say, he wouldn't have a time to say it in. "Oh, Chaos… Now you're gonna hate me more than you already do. This is gonna get out and the press is gonna write stories about it and Amy's gonna _kill_ me and I'm gonna lose all my friends and nobody's gonna want some gay guy saving them from disasters and I'm gonna…" Shadow let his instinct take over, and was surprised at the result. He crouched down to the panicked hero and lifted his chin.

"Listen. I will always be here. Those insignificant humans can like it or I'll kill them. Same goes for your friends." Sonic was near tears and didn't seem convinced by Shadow's statements. Rather than let Sonic go off on another rant, the Ultimate Lifeform planted his lips firmly over the other's. He felt Sonic constrict and tense before calming and letting the kiss take its course, placing his gloved hands on the back of Shadow's head, skillfully avoiding his sharp quills. _This was unexpected._ Shadow pulled away and smirked to himself.

Sonic's face morphed from a look of happiness to a look of confusion before rounding back to happy confusion. "Shadow? What… Why?" Shadow shrugged and half-smiled. "I don't know, but why not?" The blue hero grinned. "Good point." They kissed again, this time more forceful and passionate, deepening with every passing moment. The ebony hedgehog's arm reached around Sonic's waist as…

"I really, _really_ don't want to interrupt this, but if we stay here any longer, we are all gonna die. Sorry."

**Knuckles: Part III**

If it was even possible for Knuckles' week to get worse, it just did. After a nice, confusing show by the Master Emerald in bringing Tikal out, the red echidna had seen the death of Sonic, Tails, and countless others, made a failed rescue attempt, was shot in the neck with what had to be the strongest tranquilizer in the world, and was now sitting in a cell with a raging headache and a loud pink hedgehog. Yeah, these last few days had been just _peachy_.

Knuckles had been awake in the cell for at least an hour, and he had already heard everything that was good about Sonic, everything that was bad about Sonic, and everything Amy would do to the person that had stolen Sonic away from her, including killing, maiming, mutilating, and beating senseless. Frankly, Knuckles couldn't give a damn. All he had been doing the entire time was leaning against the wall, hoping that nobody was meddling with the Master Emerald.

"I mean, I love Sonic and everything, but sometimes he can be so _mean_. I can't believe that he would tell me that I'm not his girlfriend like that! It's all because of whoever that person is that thinks they can steal my Sonikku away from me. When I get my hands on that _thief_, I swear that I will…" _Is it getting warm in here?_ "…senseless. Of course, I'll need to get Tails to make me a new hammer for that. Y'know, sometimes I think people don't…" _It's definitely getting hot in here._ "…attention to me. I think Sonic notices me, though, and one day he'll love me as…" _It feels like an oven._ "…love him. I don't know if I ever told you this, but this one time…" _I don't think this is normal…_ "…sick, Sonic came over and helped me by…" _Ow. It's starting to actually hurt… _"…soup. Of course, my Sonikku isn't the best cook, but it was still sweet. I wish that he'd…" _Oh, Chaos! My back!_

Knuckles jumped away from the wall and suppressed a yelp. Looking back at the wall, he could see a faint red glow slowly dissipating. _What the hell?_ Amy was completely oblivious to the odd occurrences, and just kept babbling on about how sweet her Sonic was, and how much she loved her Sonic, and how she sometimes just wanted to hit her Sonic over the head with a large hammer as Knuckles examined the heated stone that had nearly burned his back. _Wait, that means that there's someone in that cell!_

Knuckles walked over to Amy, interrupting her with a simple request to stand in front of the door and block the window with her head. She complied without a single break in her ramblings. By this point, she had gotten into telling a story about a surprise party that she had planned for Sonic this year, which was not surprising. She planned one _every_ year, and Knuckles failed to see what would be so special about this one. _I mean, 18 is just a number, right?_

The echidna shook off his thoughts, hardly believing the fact that he had actually listened to Amy for a moment. Knuckles checked to make sure that the pink hedgehog had not moved before preparing himself for a punch. _Here's hoping these cells are soundproofed._ He punched the wall, cracking it in several places. Knuckles winced at the loud cracking thud that the punch had caused, expecting the guards to come rushing in at any moment, but was rewarded with only the steady droning squeak of Amy's rant. He punched once more, this time causing a large chunk to fall out the other side.

The echidna peered through the newly created hole to see Tails, accompanied by a certain purple cat. "Blaze?" It was now that Amy noticed the gap in the wall, running over to the hole and exclaiming something or other. "Amy, no! Don't move away from the…" But it was already too late. The door clicked open, and the guard sauntered in, at first unsure which prisoner to point his gun at. He settled with Knuckles.

"What do you think you're…" he noticed the hole. "Oh, Chaos. Leonard! Hurry in here!" Another guard came rushing in the open door with his gun in hand, instantly pointing it through the hole at the duo on the other side. Knuckles wasn't the best negotiator, (to be honest, he sucked), but he thought that he should make an attempt anyways. "Look, I'm sorry for breaking the…" Leonard interrupted. "Be quiet, prisoner." Then, to the other guard, "This should be fine for now, just make sure that no more walls are destroyed. If they try anything, kill them."

Knuckles peeked over at Blaze through the hole and noticed that she was hiding her hands behind her back in a very peculiar way… "I have something to…" "Be quiet, prisoner! You will speak when…" "Just let me say something!" Knuckles continued to speak once the guards' uncomfortable silence satisfied him. "Thank you. As I was saying, I think it would be wisest for one in this situation to kiss the concrete."

Tails immediately understood and fell to the floor. Amy, however, was not so receptive, so Knuckles pushed down on her head as he himself flopped onto the ground. The echidna shut his eyes and listened to the inferno that no doubt swirled above him, feeling the intense heat on his already lightly burned back. He heard the guards scream, and tried with all his might to block it out. The seconds that the fires burned felt like hours, and when the roaring sound and blistering heat ceased, Knuckles stood warily.

The charred bodies in the now blackened cell sent disgusted shivers down Knuckles' spine, and he had to block out the scent of burnt flesh as he hurriedly rushed out of the room, closing the door behind them as soon as the others were through. He gasped in the considerably cooler air. Amy instantly began running towards where she knew the exit was, but Tails pointed in the opposite direction. "Tikal told me that Sonic and Shadow were in this cell. We have to save them!"

Knuckles looked back towards where Amy had run, just in time to see the back of her scuffed boots disappear around the corner. Blaze rushed towards the cell that the hedgehogs were in, flashing a pair of ID cards as she did so. "I'll take care of them! Just get out of here fast!" Tails tried to run after the cat, but Knuckles grabbed one of his namesakes as he rushed away, causing a small yelp to spring out of the fox.

"No! Blaze has that covered! We need to follow Amy before she gets caught again! Getting out of here is more important!" Tails looked reluctant to heed the echidna's advice, but relaxed as he spotted Blaze and the two hedgehogs come rushing back towards them. Sonic had a noticeable blush on his cheeks.

A masculine scream was heard from around the corner, and all present turned their heads to look down the corridor. Blaze lightly shoved Knuckles to get him moving. "What are you guys still doing here? I told you to leave!" The echidna gave a quick nod and rushed around the corner, nearly tripping over the unconscious guards with darts sticking out of them laying in the hall, just across from an open cell door. He slowed down, and felt the others do the same behind him, warily watching for trouble.

Just as the group was about to turn the corner, Knuckles spotted a pink hedgehog slumped against the wall. Sonic ran to Amy, and her eyes flickered open for a moment. "My…nic… I…lo…ou…" The hero carefully slid his arms between her and the floor, one under her head, the other under her knees. He slowly picked her up and exchanged a nod with Knuckles. They turned the corner, only to be greeted with a shocking sight.

Splatters of crimson blood were sprayed across the walls, and a light flickered overhead, giving a feel of macabre to the whole picture. Guards were strewn on the floor in blood soaked uniforms. The security desk was dented in several places, a splash of red liquid usually accompanying each spot. A loud meaty thump was heard around the corner.


	10. Chapter 10

**Silver: Part 1**

Silver's psychokinetic powers were always a mystery, even to him. Sure, he knew what they did and how to use them, but _how_ and _why_ he got them was what nobody could figure out.

His parents were normal, middle class citizens, and nothing in their past could explain his powers. They had not ever been subject to any science experiments, and drugs of any kind were always something they strongly protested. Also, the only family problem of any kind was Silver's mother's near-sightedness, causing her to wear glasses. Somehow, he strongly doubted his mother's glasses were the cause.

However, it was not the 'how' that bothered Silver, but more the 'why'. His psychokinesis didn't seem like a gift that could be used to help people. In fact, it felt more like a curse, causing people to treat him like a creature beneath them; like an ignorant, dangerous animal. His power had never saved someone's life, nor had it taken one. He was not a hero, but he was not a villain. Silver's psychokinesis appeared to him to be completely ineffectual and useless.

When he was about three years old, his powers had begun to develop. They started quickly and suddenly, soon proving to be rather difficult to control. It had seemed to Silver in those early days that it was the psychokinesis that controlled him, causing him to levitate seemingly random objects in any state of heightened emotion. One of these times was when Silver had actually levitated himself, before dropping back down rather harshly on a concrete floor.

Silver's parents had decided that it might be for the best if they took their son to a scientist. This scientist was whom Silver had spent most of his childhood with, constantly being put through various tests. The scientist was not exactly the friendliest of people, but the young white hedgehog had to assume that his company was better than people that might ridicule or be frightened of his psychokinesis.

Silver hardly ever saw his parents after he was sent to the laboratory, but when they did visit, it was always with a certain degree of awkwardness. His mother always spoke quietly, as if she were on the verge of tears, and his father never said anything that wasn't short and completely to the point. By the time Silver was nine years old, his parents had stopped visiting altogether.

The cold scientist had slowly warmed up to the young hedgehog, and was soon somewhat of a father figure. For his tenth birthday, the scientist had presented Silver with a matching set of gloves and boots that had been painstakingly designed to help channel his strange mental powers. The scientist became a friend to Silver, and had even let him leave the top-secret military base that he was kept in once or twice. It was mid-September in the hedgehog's eleventh year when his father figure died of an unexpected heart attack.

Silver had been left alone, not knowing where his parents lived and not able to ask before running away from the military base. Only being a young boy of eleven, the hedgehog had begun to make a living for himself, finding a cheap little apartment and an easy job that wouldn't ask too many questions. Silver strove to keep his psychokinesis a secret, and had been able to, until a day when he was fourteen.

He had gotten a job in a small café not far from his cheap apartment, and he was there working when the accident happened. One of his coworkers in the café was a girl by the name of Belle. She was a friend to Silver, and always worked her hardest, no matter the weather or season. That particular day was overcast, and the impending threat of rain had drawn in more customers than usual. Belle was rushing from the kitchen to the back tables with a large amount of food on a tray when she tripped over someone's foot.

The food flipped, and Silver could see the girl's head about to make an unsavory contact with the sharp corner of a table. He quickly channeled into his powers and focused them all directly at her. A soft green glow enveloped both his hands and Belle's body, causing small gasps to break out from the intently observing customers. The young girl was brought back to her feet safely, a look of shock plastered onto her face.

Silver could feel the questioning and fearful eyes of the customers boring into him. He was unsure what to do, but knew one thing: he was never going back to one of those laboratories again. He had spent his fill of being treated like a new toy, being constantly monitored and asked to perform tasks with a power that no one, not even himself, was truly comfortable with. Before any of the silent spectators could say anything, Silver ran out of the café, only briefly registering Belle calling his name as he fled.

The ivory hedgehog ran down the sidewalk, holding back tears and ignoring the looks he received. He ran until he felt like he couldn't run anymore, even then only slowing down to a brisk walk. Silver continued moving, not caring or noticing where he was going until the sun had begun to sink into the horizon. He looked up from his feet, wiping a stray tear away just as a car rushed by him, causing him to stumble and nearly fall into the sizable ditch on his left.

The city was at least a mile behind him now, and cars were rushing by the highway that stretched along as far as Silver could see. Slowing down to a slow walk, he absentmindedly examined the barren ditch that he had almost tumbled into moments earlier. It was nothing impressive, just dirt and the occasional piece of trash. Silver was about to look away when something caught his eye.

It was just a brief glint. A reflection of blue made visible by a car's headlights. Silver halted in his tracks and stared intently at where he had seen the shine, squinting his amber eyes at the darkness. Another car passed by, and this time, he got a better look at it. The object was a large azure gem about three inches in width, and about six in length. It was a brilliant rectangular cut, and Silver had to wonder who in the world had found and shaped such a marvelous jewel.

After nervously glancing up and down the highway, Silver concentrated his psychokinesis through his boots, gently levitating himself down into the ditch. The gem's surface was smooth and reflected light perfectly. The hedgehog reached out to touch the jewel, inwardly wondering why on Mobius such an object was amidst roadside trash. His gloved fingers made contact with the shining blue surface of the mysterious stone.

A jolt of unknown energy instantly coursed through Silver's body, and he attempted to retract his hand away. The jewel was stuck to his hand, and the energies were starting to make him sick. He shut his eyes, hoping that the gem would just let go on its own. It seemed like hours later when the energies ceased and Silver reopened his eyes.

He had been transported to the middle of the street, though where exactly this street was located was a mystery to Silver. He grabbed the jewel and held it close as he stood. Suddenly, a large group of soldiers burst out of the shop near him and rushed after a lavender cat a few meters away from where he stood. He ducked out of the way, landing ungracefully on the concrete and dropping the stone in the process. A soldier stopped in his chase and slowly looked down at the gem. He raised his eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Silver.

"You're using the Chaos Emeralds! You and your filthy anthropomorph society are planning something with the Chaos Emeralds!" Silver allowed a confused and frightened look to sweep over his face. "I'm sorry. I don't know what a Chaos Emerald is, but if you can just let me take this gem and leave, then I promise I won't bother…" The soldier ignored him and cut him off with a call to his comrades.

Silver saw the group of soldiers rush over from where they had lost the purple feline. They were rushing towards him with guns in their hands, and the white hedgehog knew he only had moments to act. Accessing his psychokinesis, Silver pulled over the gem from where it had landed and scrambled to his feet. He tried to run as fast as he possibly could, but his fleeing from earlier in the day had drained his energy. He knew that they would catch up to him in moments on foot, so he quickly channeled his powers again through his boots, levitating up onto a nearby awning.

Silver heard the soldiers halt before one of them shouted to open fire. Darts whipped by his head, but before the hedgehog could turn and flee, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He felt himself slip off the awning and onto the hard concrete below.

**Tikal: Part I**

The laboratory containment cell was quite a bit more comfortable than the brig, especially considering the fact that this cell actually had a bed. Everything in the room was a glaring white, walls and door included. The entire room was most likely heavily sterilized.

The man known as Henry Frost had shown Tikal the Book of the Third Eye, and she had confirmed that it was a very powerful relic that she absolutely refused to ever read any part of. This earned her a look of sadness from Frost and a warning that the Commander would not be pleased to hear that. She stated that she really didn't care what the Commander did; she was still not reading that book. Frost stuck her in here with a strict order in place from the Commander himself of no food or water for three days.

Tikal didn't mind the fasting; she had done it before as a part of a religious ritual, but this blinding white was beginning to get on her nerves. It had been about a half-hour of nothing but ivory silence when the door swished open, revealing two guards and a hedgehog as white as everything else in the room. They threw the prisoner into the cell before leaving without a word. The hedgehog collapsed onto the floor, unable to catch himself for the cuffs around his wrists.

Tikal rushed to the prisoner's side, gently rolling him over onto his back to reveal that he was not, as she had thought, unconscious. Instead, he simply had his eyes closed as if he were desperately trying to calm down. "Um…hi. What's your name?" Tikal berated herself for sounding like a small child, and something in her subconscious hoped that it wouldn't make for a bad first impression.

The hedgehog snapped his eyes open, revealing intense amber irises that had a contained anger hidden behind them. He sat up slowly and eyed the cuffs. "My name…? My name is Silver. I apologize in advance if this freaks you out at all." With that, his hands were enveloped in a light green light, manipulating the lock on the cuffs. A moment later they were off and lying on the ground near his feet.

Silver stood, wobbling a bit as he did so, and walked slowly over to the door. Tikal watched the hedgehog place his hand on the door and again summon the mysterious green glow. She could see the door begin to strain, but it refused to give. Silver did not give up, however, and continued using whatever power he had, causing the glow to brighten. A grimace appeared on his face, and a few beads of sweat sprouted on his forehead. Suddenly, the light ceased and Silver dropped to the floor from the apparent strain.

Tikal once again rushed to the ivory hedgehog's side, noting his expression as being a perfect mix between strain and heavy irritation. "Are you okay? What was…?" He stood and walked wearily over to the single bed in the corner of the room, sitting and putting his head in his gloved hands. "That was my psychokinesis. It's why they put me in here." He chuckled and shook his head lightly. "Either that's the strongest door in the world, or whatever was in those darts drained my power immensely." Silver looked up and into Tikal's eyes. "Give me a straight answer. Did that frighten you?"

The echidna shook her head and gave a reassuring smile. "No, not at all. Up until yesterday morning, I was a spirit sealed in an emerald with a god of destruction. I had been there four thousand years." Silver looked both impressed and incredulous. "I guess that's why you're in a laboratory cell, huh?" Tikal nodded and joined the hedgehog on the bed before speaking again. "So, how'd you get here?"

Silver scratched the back of his head. "Well, to be honest, I'm not quite sure where 'here' is. I was transported here by this weird blue gem I found." _I've definitely heard stranger…_ "Well, 'here' is Mobius. You're in the laboratory of the GUN headquarters in Station Square." Silver gained a look of blank confusion. "Ok. At least I'm still on Mobius, even if I don't know what or where those other places are.

"When I got here, I just appeared in the middle of the street. There were humans giving me dirty looks everywhere I went. I saw a purple cat getting chased by a group of soldiers. After I saw that, I knew it wasn't safe to be there, so I ran. When I was running, some of the soldiers started chasing me. I tried to escape, but they shot me with some sort of tranquilizer before I could. They stuck me in here so they could experiment on me and my 'freak powers'."

Tikal pointed a finger in the hedgehog's face, causing him to cross his eyes to look at it. "Hey! You do _not_ have 'freak powers'. I'll prove it to you." The echidna wasn't sure if she remembered correctly how to do the spell that her sorceress mother had taught her when she was very young, but she felt as if she had to try. It wasn't a dangerous spell, and her mother had really just taught it to her for amusement. Tikal concentrated and recited the small incantation.

"_A light in darkness, in shadow burns bright._

_A candle's flame illuminates the night."_

A few moments after Tikal finished speaking, her entire body gave a soft white glow. It was barely noticeable due to the white glares already present in the room, but it could be detected if one knew what to look for. "Um… It works better in the dark…" Silver chuckled. "Okay, so we _both_ have freak powers. I do hope that's not all you can do though…" Tikal put on a hurt expression and pointed the finger back between his eyes. "Hey! I only did that one because it's quick and easy. It's fading already, anyway."

Silver just shrugged it off. "So, why do they _really_ want you here? I can tell it's not just because you can glow at will." _Oh! That's right! I need to get the book! _"They really want me here so I can translate a book written in echidna runes. I have no intention of obliging them." The white hedgehog absent-mindedly levitated one hand with the other, the soft green light radiating from his palm. "All this trouble for a book? What's so special about it?"

Tikal leaned back on the bed, her head propped up against the wall. "Well, It's complicated, but I think it would behoove us both for me to tell you. You see, the spell that you just saw was taught to me by my mother, the most skilled sorceress in the history of my tribe. She had always worked to bring peace, but over time her power poisoned her, and she created a powerful dark spell book…"

* * *

**A REAL QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Just in case anyone is wondering why Silver seems so clueless as to what is going on, and as to why he didn't recognize Blaze, the answer is simple: TIME WAS ALTERED. At the end of Sonic '06, they prevented what would have happened in the future, meaning nobody knows about Mephiles, Iblis, Solaris, or Silver, and Blaze is still alive.


	11. Chapter 11

**Amy: Part III**

Amy got up from where Knuckles had forcefully pushed her down and brushed herself off. She quickly surveyed the now thoroughly charred room, feeling nauseous at the overpowering smell of burned flesh. Not particularly wanting to, but knowing it would help, she approached one of the now unrecognizable guards.

The tranquilizer gun was melded to the skin of the guard's hand, and it made an unpleasant faint ripping sound as she peeled it out of his dead grasp. Amy suppressed her gag reflex and rushed out the door behind Blaze and Tails, letting Knuckles close the door behind her. _I need to rescue my Sonikku!_ Instantly she ran towards the direction of the exit, keeping the gun handy in case of antagonizing guards.

Sure enough, there were two guards just around the first corner. She seized the element of surprise and haphazardly pulled the trigger of the gun she carried several times, wincing lightly at the sharp sound of darts breaking against the hard stone wall behind. Two did make contact with her targets, however, hitting one on the upper arm and the other right in the gut. The latter collapsed almost instantly, while the guard with the dart in his arm made several failed attempts to grab at his gun before sliding slowly down the wall. Amy hesitantly approached the unconscious men and unclipped the IDs from the breast pocket of their uniforms.

The nearest cell was #3, and the pink hedgehog stretched her arms out to the magnetic card readers on either side of the door, swiping the IDs simultaneously. The door made a familiar *_click_*, and Amy swung it open, nearly smacking one of the unconscious guards as she did so. The florescent lights shot into the dim cell, illuminating only slightly. In the back, slumped against a wall, Amy could just make out a large silhouette.

The figure rose, revealing hulking size that was at least a foot taller than the pink hedgehog. Amy shrunk back. _Maybe some of these prisoners are actually here for a reason…_ She was unsure whether to run or to speak, so she did neither and remained frozen to the spot. The silhouette swayed for a moment before taking a step into the light. _Wait, that's…_ "Vector?"

The large crocodile walked further forward, and it was then Amy noticed that something was definitely amiss. The look on Vector's face was that of pure fury, and his eyes had reduced to slits. He made no noise, and that was somehow more frightening to the pink hedgehog than any amount of growling or yelling. He charged forward, and Amy had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit, landing rather roughly on her recently healed rib.

She slowly picked herself up and gingerly touched her chest, breathing a sigh of relief when the sharp pain from earlier was not felt. Suddenly, Amy heard a scream from the corridor. She rushed out of the cell to see Vector turning the corner, a guard cowering in front of him. The pink hedgehog rushed forward and grabbed the crocodile's arm with both hands, desperately trying to make him stop. The arm swung out to the side, throwing Amy against the wall, causing her head to slam roughly against the smooth stone.

Before her vision faded to black, she could just make out a blue figure standing over her. _My Sonic… I…love…you…_

**Vector: Part I**

_We should have never taken this job…_ Vector had been in cell #3 for two full days now, and it was quickly making him more and more irritable. It wasn't really the feeling of helplessness that got to him, nor was it the fact that he had no idea when he might be getting out of the GUN headquarters brig. No, what really irritated him was how freakin' _boring_ it was in cell #3.

There was pretty much nothing to do but stare at the wall and think. Think about how Charmy and Espio were doing in cells #1 and #2, and how they never should have taken a job that asked them to break into the GUN headquarters. However, (as Vector had to remind his companions when they got the call with the explanation and the promise of grand sums of money), Team Chaotix never turns down a job that pays. He couldn't even listen to music; the guards had taken that away, too.

The lack of contact with other living creatures was beginning to drive him _completely_ insane. In Vector's opinion, the occasional guard delivering the unidentifiable mush they called food was not enough. He had tried before to get the guard to stay and talk, (asking questions at first and eventually turning to small talk), but he had yet to get any response. Not even a 'Be quiet, prisoner'. Nothing, and he absolutely hated it.

In the morning of the third day, two guards entered cell #3, accompanied by a squirrelly man in a lab coat. "Your name is Vector, correct?" The crocodile nodded and opened his mouth to say something before being cut off. "My name is Henry Frost. I am the head scientist here at the GUN headquarters." _I don't care if you're the tooth fairy; just get me out of this damn cell!_ "And…?" Frost signaled to the guards by his sides. "I don't want to do this, but it is a direct order from the Commander himself." The guards began to approach Vector with a pair of handcuffs, and the crocodile put his hands up in a 'stop right where you are' gesture. They did.

"If you think you're gonna cuff me, then you are _really_ mistaken." Frost sighed dramatically and again signaled to the guards. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but I suppose it was expected." The guards drew their guns. "Now, are you going to let us cuff you, or are we going to have to drag you to the laboratory unconscious?" Vector lowered his hands. "Well, when you put it _that_ way, then I guess…" They shot him.

When Vector awoke, his wrists and ankles had been strapped to a cold metal table, forcing him to lie on his back. A florescent light above his head blinded him as he opened his eyes, shooting a dull pain through his temples. When his reptilian eyes adjusted to the bright light, Vector saw Frost hovering over him with an unknown mechanical device that beeped in questionable ways. "Get that _thing_ out of my face. Now."

Frost jumped in fright, nearly dropping the device on the crocodile's face before catching it and clutching a hand to his chest dramatically. The thing was still in his face. "I _said_, get that _thing_ out of my _face_. _Now._" Frost slowly backed up as Vector pulled on his restraints, the results minimal.

The scientist stared blankly at the struggling crocodile, occasionally pressing a button on the small device absentmindedly. "Maybe you should let me know what you are planning to do to me?" Frost pivoted to a nearby table and set the object carefully on it before focusing his attention on a small plant. His voice held remorse when he spoke. "I am afraid we have already done what you are here for, and since the formula is already in your bloodstream, I see no harm in informing you what it does.

"For the past month or so, it has been one of our science department's main objective to develop a formula that temporarily enhances the more primal section of the brain, resulting in increased aggression and strength. The formula has not yet been tested on a living subject, and it was the Commander's order to use a prisoner. I assure you, this is not my wish. I do not like testing such things on people against their will."

_I don't exactly know what that means, but it sounds bad. _Vector had begun to become light headed, and his vision had suddenly become more focused and sharp. When he spoke, his voice had an underlying snarl to it, shocking him a bit. "How long until I start feelin' it?" Frost shrugged and lightly touched the small blue flower that sat atop the bamboo-like plant. "It sounds like you already are."

Vector began to feel an undefined rage filling his body. It was strong, threatening to push away all logical thought. He kept telling himself that he had no reason to be angry, and yet he was, at everything and everybody. "What the _hell is happening to me?_" Frost turned to leave. "You will be transferred back to your cell after the Commander has seen the results. I apologize sincerely."

Vector barely registered Frost's departure. His body no longer felt like his. It was almost as if he was merely a passenger on a runaway train, and all he could do was watch as it quickly approached a tall cliff. He heard a roar that wasn't his escape from his mouth as his vision began to glaze over. Vector's body was now a puppet to mindless rage.


	12. Chapter 12

**Blaze: Part II**

Blaze had caught Sonic and Shadow kissing. To say that it shocked her would be an understatement. Of course, the cat had never really known either of them all that well, but she knew enough to know that they were normally rivals. She vaguely knew of Shadow's plot to blow up Mobius, and of his several attempts on murdering Sonic, whom she knew he called 'Faker'.

No matter what their reasons or emotions may have been, Blaze knew that she was now a keeper of a secret. She could tell by the blush on Sonic's face that their relationship had not been elaborated upon to anyone they knew. She could already predict the inevitable plea of 'don't tell anybody' and the threat of 'say something and you die'. Needless to say, her lips were sewn shut.

Of course, there were more important things happening at the moment, such as the unconscious Amy and the blood-soaked hall filled with dead bodies. _To think, I could be home drinking tea. Those damn things are really starting to get on my nerves._ A loud meaty *_thump*_ was heard around the corner, and all members of the ragtag group exchanged glances before dashing towards the sound. Blaze kept her hands warm in case of emergency.

They rounded the corner, coming face to face with a large angry crocodile. The crocodile was beating repetitively on the doors of the elevator, apparently in too much of a rage to think properly and press the button or opt for the stairs. Slumped on the ground was the source of the loud *_thump_* from moments earlier. The guard was probably dead, as evidenced by the large amount of blood that had begun to pool around him.

Knuckles spoke. "Vector? Vector, what are you…" The crocodile turned slowly, silencing the echidna with a look of pure fury. "Faker!" Blaze turned to see Sonic running behind the security desk and out of sight, Shadow right on his heels. She saw Tails begin to follow, and she stuck an arm out, blocking his path. He looked at her confusedly. "Those two can take care of themselves. We're gonna need your help to get out of this one." Tails nodded once.

Blaze whizzed around when she heard a loud roar, just in time to see Knuckles dodge the furious crocodile. She pointed her palms towards the beast, and ignited a small flame. The flame began to grow as… "Blaze! Stop!" The flame remained the same size. "Why? Did you see what happened to the guards? It's…" Knuckles backed up away from the quickly advancing reptile. "Its name is Vector. He's a friend…" He dodged another charging in his direction. "…and he's not normally like this."

_A friend? If this crocodile's a friend, then what the hell are enemies like?_ The flame again began to magnify, but another yell, this time from behind Blaze, caused her to stop and shrink it again. "Wait!" She turned her head to see Tails pointing a gun from one of the guards right at the rampaging crocodile. Knuckles still frantically ducked and dodged lethal blows, causing the yellow fox to hesitate in his shooting. "Tails!" the crimson echidna shouted as the reptile grabbed his neck, slowly pushing him up the wall, "Shoot…him…Tails! Shoot…him!"

One gloved finger squeezed on the trigger of the gun, shooting a dart out of the barrel and directly into the arm that held Knuckles. The crocodile turned his head slowly toward the genius, narrowing his eyes as he did so. His fingers released Knuckles' neck, dropping him to the ground on his hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air. The enraged beast did not collapse from the tranquilizer as everyone else had in the past, but instead slowly approached Tails with no signs of wooziness. Blaze kept her guard up the entire time.

Tails' eyes widened when the dart had no effect, and began moments later to pump his finger on the trigger as fast as he possibly could, even after all six darts within the gun were stuck into the advancing crocodile in seemingly random places. Blaze could detect a faint weariness behind the reptile's eyes, but that was all. She began once more to grow the fire in her palms, and once more was stopped, this time by herself.

The crocodile's steps had slowed and become less frequent, and his arms were now hanging loosely by his side as he walked towards Tails. Blaze lowered her arms and extinguished the flames before walking slowly up to the now sluggish threat, ignoring a cry from Tails to stop. The crocodile reached his arm up halfway before dropping it limply. With a small finger push to the chest from Blaze, the reptile collapsed to the floor in an unconscious heap. _I've always wanted to do that…_

A small clattering was created as Tails dropped the gun onto the concrete floor. "Why would Sonic run off like that? He's never run from a fight before." Knuckles shrugged and lightly kicked the crocodile's side. "I don't know, but we should get Vector to the laboratory. Something is not right with him." _Really? I couldn't have guessed._ Tails walked over and pressed the button on the elevator, avoiding the body on the ground in front of it as he did so. "I know where the laboratory is. It's in the basement."

Blaze also approached the elevator, stepping over the body as she went. "Aren't we already in the basement?" The fox shook his head as the dented doors opened with a ding. "No. We're actually in the third _sub_-basement." The echidna joined them, grunting slightly as he dragged the crocodile around the pool of blood. "It's a lot further when you're digging." The trio boarded the elevator, their unconscious attacker in tow.

**Sonic: Part IV**

Sonic could only hope that Blaze could keep a secret. He wanted people to find out about him and Shadow only after he was ready for it. After all, he was a hero to the entire planet, and being caught kissing, (or being kissed by), your rival of the same sex does not exactly bode well with the press. He could already picture the inevitable tabloids as they warily walked down the blood-soaked corridor.

They heard a loud meaty _*thump*_ from around the corridor, and all members of the ragtag group save the unconscious Amy exchanged glances before rushing toward the sound. As they rounded the corner, Sonic saw Vector, leader of Team Chaotix, beating on the door of the elevator. A guard lay in a pool of his own blood mere feet away.

_He must have been who hurt Amy. But…why? Vector's normally a nice guy…_ "Vector?" Knuckles began, "Vector, what are you…" The crocodile turned slowly, and Sonic could see a pure fury in his eyes. _The Commander! I bet he's been experimenting on Mobians! Wait, where is Tikal? If they brainwash her, or if they experiment on her… What if they're torturing her! I don't think the Commander is above it. I bet they're gonna force her to read that book! We need to rescue Tikal!_

His emerald eyes widened as he realized what Tikal's absence truly meant, and he swiftly turned around, holding Amy closer as he prepared to speed up. He rushed behind the security desk and around the corner, searching for the door that was on the map Tails had got them. "Faker!" Sonic felt a gloved hand on his arm, and he only glanced in Shadow's direction before he ignored it and walked to the metal door to the stairs. "Shads. We need to rescue Tikal. If the Commander has been experimenting on her, then…" "Understood."

Sonic paused in front of the door for a moment before turning sheepishly to Shadow and motioning with a head nod to the unconscious Amy in his arms. "Would you mind opening the door? My hands are kinda full right now." The Ultimate Lifeform lightly smirked and twisted the doorknob, revealing an ordinary staircase. Shadow motioned for Sonic to go ahead. _I hate running on stairs…_

The cobalt hero began climbing the stairs, his normal speed hindered by both the stairs themselves and the wounded Amy. Shadow stayed right beside him, even though Sonic knew he could easily pass ahead with very little effort. "We should get your girlfriend medical attention." At that, Sonic stopped, making Shadow turn around a few steps later. "What?" The blue hedgehog slowly walked towards his crush; a crush that he now knew felt the same way he did. "Now what on Mobius would make you think Amy was my, quote, 'girlfriend', unquote? You of all people should know…" Sonic reached Shadow at this moment, leaning into his face and looking deeply into lightly confused crimson eyes. "…which way my affections are directed."

With that, Sonic closed the gap between his and Shadows lips for a brief moment, giving him a light kiss before walking past and continuing up the stairs. _I am _so_ glad that Amy is unconscious…_ Shadow caught up a moment later. As hard as his emotions were to read, a tinge of guilt and a spec of pleased happiness could be detected. "I apologize. I suppose it has become a habit to call her that." Sonic shrugged. "No sweat, Shads. I just want it known that she is only a friend. She gets no privileges. Someone _else _gets those." Shadow smirked and looked over to the younger hedgehog, only to see him run into a panicking man in a lab coat.

"I'm sorry! I was just…" The man's eyes widened behind his glasses as he saw whom exactly he had run into. "You're Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic would have saluted and had he not had occupied arms, but he did, so he just settled for a grin and a nod. He also would have said 'That's me!' had Shadow not begun to speak, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"Dr. Frost? Why are you running this way?" The man's eyes again grew as he saw the other hedgehog on the stairwell, this one also recognized. Sonic could tell that he did not particularly wish to get in either of their ways. "Agent Shadow? There's an escaped prisoner in the brig, and…" "You mean Vector? I'm sure he's taken care of." Frost stood in place for a moment, fidgeting awkwardly and obviously unsure of what to do next. "W-well, I should go down there anyway and…" Shadow hardly gave him time to speak. "I assure you, that idiot has been taken care of." _Wait a minute… How would he know? We haven't been there to see… Oh, Chaos! We left Tails down there!_

"Shadow, maybe we should…" He shot Sonic a sharp glare. "I am sure Blaze and Tails can handle one idiot. That echidna will no doubt assist as well." Frost grew restless and attempted to pass by Shadow, but was halted by a hand to the chest. "Frost. We will need full access to the laboratory and any medical equipment therein. It is also required that you release the orange echidna in your custody."

Shadow's reputation at the GUN headquarters must have been a frightening one, for the scientist nodded fiercely and fearfully and began sprinting the rest of the way up the steps to the two hedgehogs' destination. They followed at a slower pace. "You're sexy when you're forceful." Shadow smirked at the comment. "We've already established what you think of me, faker."

When the hedgehogs entered the laboratory, they were greeted by the sight of a panicking Frost, currently rushing towards them with a large first aid kit. Sonic didn't know the first thing about anything medical, and somehow he doubted Shadow did either. He would never say that to the Ultimate Lifeform's face, however; new boyfriend or not. Therefore, with a nod between the two, and a mutual understanding that if they did anything it would hurt more than help, Shadow again addressed the highly intimidated scientist in front of them. "Perhaps you should be the one to tend to her. We must meet up with the orange echidna."

Frost nodded and set the kit on a nearby table, adjusting his unmoved glasses as he reached into his pocket. The table was completely bare, and Sonic assumed it would be as good a place as any to set Amy down. As soon as he did so, he felt the strain on his arms that wasn't present moments before. _What the…? I was probably just blocking it out…_ Shadow took the security badge Frost produced from his pocket and made off towards the far end of the lab, presumably the location of the cell containing Tikal.

"Wait! Don't we need two badges? Like before?" Shadow didn't slow, but instead only flashed the badge over his shoulder. "Frost is the head scientist here. Him and other high ranking officials, such as the Commander himself, need only theirs." The hedgehogs stopped at a door that had no distinguishing marks other than the familiar card reader at its side, and a small red light above. Shadow quickly swiped the card and waited for the light to change to green before pressing a small button beneath the reader. The door swished open.

Even though the lab was not dark, the flash of bright white from inside the room blinded the hedgehogs, causing them to flinch. "Sonic!" Tikal stood from where she was seated on the single bed within, apprehensively approaching the blue hero. Also on the bed was an unfamiliar ivory hedgehog, no older than sixteen. Sonic couldn't help noticing his strange boots…

"Yeah, It's me. They didn't make you read anything, did they?" She shook her head, but then seemed to think, causing her to nod afterwards. "Well which is it? You of all people know how dangerous it could be if you read anything. Now tell me, did they make you read anything?" She nervously adjusted her bracelets. "They made me read runes." Sonic sighed heavily. "Not the book! They tried to make me read the book, but when I refused, they stuck me in here. No, what they made me read was just a random collection of runes. They wanted to make sure I actually could read them before they made me read the book."

"And who is this?" The white hedgehog stood. "My name is Silver." Sonic just motioned him to come with. No matter what the situation, he couldn't ignore someone in need. Just then, a familiar voice could be heard from back in the lab. "If you move, I promise that I will roast you. If you speak, I will broil you. If you even _think_ about touching Amy, I will fry you. If you don't help us, I will cook you. If you don't tell us where the echidna is, I will char you. Anything I'm missing?" "Yeah. Vector's kinda heavy, here…" "Oh, yeah. If you don't fix this crocodile, I will incinerate you. Any questions?"

The group of recent escapees ran back to where Sonic had left Amy, and the cobalt hero could hardly contain his grin. Frost was backed up against the wall with Blaze advancing towards him slowly, a flame lit in her palm. Tails watched horrified, and Knuckles lingered in the back, obviously weary of holding a large unconscious Vector. "Blaze! It's okay! He's with us!" The cat did not back down, nor did she extinguish the flame. "How can you be so sure…?"

Sonic walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He whispered into her ear. "He's fine. He's tending to Amy. Please don't say anything about me and Shadow." Blaze hesitated for a few moments, but eventually extinguished her flame. She whispered back to him as she turned. "I won't." The lavender cat joined Tails and Knuckles, telling the echidna to 'just drop the big lug, already' as she did so. He did, causing an odd slapping sound as Vector hit the floor.

Frost stayed stationary against the wall with his hands up for the entire ordeal, and Sonic had to motion to Amy to get him to continue treating her. Blaze seemed to notice Silver standing behind Tikal and Shadow, and she once again turned to the aggressive, motioning for the two to step aside as she lit another flame. Silver shrunk back in fear, but the look on his face was one of curiosity.

"Who is this hedgehog?" Silver quizzically pointed to his own chest, earning a nod from the advancing cat. "M-my name's Silver." Blaze did not stop until she was mere inches from Silver's face, and Sonic could imagine how uncomfortable his situation was. Blaze looked deep into Silver's amber eyes, searching for something that apparently none but her could see. "You appear to be pretty naïve. I think you're harmless." She backed off to where she had been previously. "Just don't try anything, or I'll have to grill you." Had Sonic been in that situation, he would have replied with something snappy and cheaply humorous, but he was not, so Silver merely nodded nervously.

Frost looked up from Amy, and the observation he was performing on the side of her head. "Well, she should be fine for now. She just needs some rest." Sonic motioned to the unconscious crocodile slumped on the floor. "What about Vector?" The scientist shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid there is very little we can do for him at this point. The Commander forced us to use him as a test subject for a new drug. This new drug was supposed to increase fighting effectiveness, and I suppose in a way, it did. The only problems were the side effects, such as anger and a loss of conscious.

"There has also been evidence to show that the drug is heavily addicting, so much to the point that one use is all it takes. Also, due to the highly potent and addicting nature of the drug, the withdrawal might have some very serious effects. If these theories are accurate, then the withdrawal process alone might cause heavy brain damage or even death. I know that this sounds strange, but this drug is unlike any in existence, being that the Commander wanted it permanent."

Tails stepped closer to Frost, his head cocked questioningly. "So the properties that result in permanence are those very same that prevent a safe withdrawal process? Did the Commander realize how dangerous a drug like this might be?" Frost was obviously shocked at hearing such a vocabulary from such a young mouth. "Well, had it been a few weeks ago, I would have said no, but considering how the Commander has been behaving recently, I'd say that he probably was counting on it."

_That sick bastard…_ Sonic moved towards the door and leaned his back against it. "So, would you happen to know where a certain book written in runes would be?" Frost sighed. "It used to be here in the laboratory, but since your first escape the Commander had it moved up to his office. He has it protected by guards and lasers at all times."

Shadow stepped forward now, pointing to each person as he addressed him or her and quite obviously ignoring the annoyance on Knuckles' face at being ordered around. "Frost, you will stay here and watch the wounded. Make sure Vector gets more of that drug. Tails, go to your workshop and pick up any devices that would assist a thief. Knuckles, escort Tikal safely back to the Master Emerald and make sure it has not been tampered with. Blaze and Silver, try and find the missing Chaos Emerald that I…" Blaze piped up. "Actually, there are Sol Emeralds missing also." Shadow nodded once. "In that case, find them all. Faker and I will get my communicator back. We will all meet back at Tails' workshop."

He paused, apparently waiting for questions. There were none, and all members of the group were still, as if unsure who should move first. After all, Shadow _never_ spoke that much. Sonic piped up to break the uncomfortable silence. "Come on, team! Let's do this!" He opened the door, letting Tails and the echidnas through before going himself, followed by Shadow.

"So, Shads, where are we going?" Shadow smirked and began walking up the stairs. "To Team Dark's office."


	13. Chapter 13

**Silver: Part II**

_Who is this? Did she just…make fire? Could it really be that I've found someone with a power __as abnormal as mine? Oh, that's not right. I shouldn't say her power is abnormal. For all I know, making fire is as common as eating in this place. Of course, Tikal said that her powers weren't exactly normal either. I know I should just ask, but this cat seems really unpredictable. I could get burned. Wait…maybe I'm dreaming. This hasn't really been an everyday occurrence. None of it has. And what was that about emeralds? Maybe that was that blue thing I found? Whatever it is, it sounds important. I wish I had called in sick today. I wonder how things at the café are going. I hope Belle's all right. I should go back there once this whole thing is done. I just need to face my fears and… _"Hey! Hedgehog! Oh, what was your name…? Silver! Mobius to Silver!"

Silver was brought out of his bout of deep runaway thoughts by a loud voice and a gloved hand waving erratically in front of his face. It took him a few moments to respond, but when he did it was only a disoriented 'What?'

"What? Have you not been listening this entire time? Geez. I was right; you are naïve." Blaze rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip. "Since you haven't been listening, I guess I'm gonna have to fill you in myself. Ok. If what that scientist guy says is true, then the Sol Emeralds should be in the maximum-security section of this laboratory. He gave us his security badge. Anything else I need to tell you?"

Back when Silver was with Tikal in the laboratory's containment cell, the orange echidna had asked him to describe the blue stone that had transported him to wherever he was now. She concluded that it was probably a 'Chaos Emerald', something Silver had never heard of. Tikal explained, and he knew enough to know that they were powerful, that there were seven, and that he apparently could channel their energy. How he could do such a thing was a complete mystery to him, however. It reminded him, (with no small degree of irritation), of his psychokinesis.

So, needless to say, Silver had a basic understanding of the Chaos Emeralds. The Sol Emeralds, however, were another story entirely. Again there were things that he had never heard of, and again they held great power. When Blaze explained these gems to him, (with no small degree of irritation), Silver began to doubt if what he had found was truly a Chaos Emerald. From what he could gather, he was very far from home with only one person he knew of who might have a solution to his mysterious teleportation. He had to admit that he felt a certain kinship with the strange purple cat. After all, they both had odd powers that neither of them seemed very comfortable with.

Once Blaze was done with her explanation of the Sol Emeralds, the duo made their way further back into the laboratory, leaving the scientist to tend to the wounded pink hedgehog Silver had learned as being Amy. "Blaze." The cat halted and turned, giving Silver a lightly annoyed expression. "I'm here because I found a blue jewel. It brought me here. Tikal told me that it was probably a _Chaos_ Emerald, but from what you told me, well… Do you think it might be one of those…Sol Emeralds?"

Blaze continued walking towards a door that had just become visible in the dim lighting. "You say it brought you here? And it was blue? I'd say it's more likely a Sol Emerald. One of those damn things did the same to me. Mine was red." The duo stopped at the door, and Silver noticed a plaque over the door that read 'Access by Unauthorized Personnel Prohibited.' Blaze winked and gave a light smile. "I guess if it _was_ a Sol Emerald, then we live in the same dimension. Always nice to meet a neighbor."

Silver returned the smile as Blaze swiped the security badge over the card reader to the right of the door, eliciting a small beep and a green light over their heads. Hesitantly, Blaze placed a gloved hand on the door handle and slowly turned the cold metal before pushing the door open. Through the door was darkness, to the point of tangibility. Blaze smirked and lit a small flame in the palm of her hand. "Guess there aren't any lights, huh?"

The flame was not the most illuminating of things, and Silver had to stand uncomfortably close to the lavender cat to actually use it as a benefit. He found himself hiding the occasional blush when their legs brushed against each other. He found it highly awkward, (and he wasn't sure why), but she didn't seem to care.

The duo proceeded slowly into the oppressive darkness, and the ivory hedgehog couldn't help but feel that there was something lurking just ahead of them, ready to spring a trap or cause death or some such nonsense. Or that's what he told himself, anyway. It made him feel better to just repeat over and over in his head that it was nothing but a nonsense idea, but something in the back of his mind told him that it wasn't so preposterous.

Quite suddenly, a loud slamming noise was heard from behind the pair, causing them both to jump, and for Silver's heartbeat to accelerate and amplify to what he was sure to be audible levels. Moments later, lights began to flicker on down what Silver could now see to be a hallway, blinding them and allowing Blaze to extinguish her flame. When Silver's eyes adjusted to the light, he was greeted by the sight of an ordinary corridor with a closed door on either end. Something about the seams between the sheets of sleek metal that made up the wall didn't set right with him…

Silver instantly ran back to the entrance, jiggling the handle fiercely to no avail. He turned to see Blaze doing the same on the other side, also with little results. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and a finger lifted to point at Silver's head. "Silver! Duck!"

Without looking at what to duck for, (because that usually leads to death, as he learned from battle simulations in his youth), he dropped to the cool metal floor. He heard a sound above him, a grating, harsh sound that was not unlike what he would imagine a large woodcutting saw to sound like. The sound grew louder beneath him. He looked down to see the tip of a razor edge peeking between his fingers. Silver scrambled backwards, barely avoiding the saw that rose out of the floor, coming up to a full height of at least six feet. Another began to protrude just to his left, and he crawled to the right, curling up as small as possible and hiding his eyes from the weapons coming out of the walls all around him.

"Silver! Help me Silver! Help!" Silver looked up and down the hallway, only to see a grim sight. Blaze was pressed flat against the locked door, blades twirling toward her from down the hall. There were several cutting down the walls, and several more on the floor and ceiling. Now and again two would scrape together, creating a terrible screeching noise.

Silver looked around in a panic before realizing what it was he had to do. He quickly lifted his hands and transferred all of his power into his gloves. He closed his eyes, putting forth as much concentration as possible. Though he couldn't see exactly what he was doing with his eyes closed, but he knew where his power was supposed to be working, and he didn't hear any screams, which was good. Thinking it might actually be good to see what was happening, Silver slowly opened one amber eye.

Blaze was still flattened against the door, and the saws were still proceeding towards her, but not nearly as fast. Each of the instruments of death had a soft green glow around them, working to push them back. Due to how many targets Silver was projecting at, however, his psychokinesis couldn't quite stop them; just slow them to a crawl. He could feel his powers draining and his mind weakening. _No! I will not let her die!_

Blaze's fear was plastered onto her face, and she seemed to be trying to press herself through the door to get away from the blades that were now no more than a foot away. "Silver! Help…" The white hedgehog pressed his psychokinesis further than it was intended to go, but he kept up the pace, even through the steadily growing fatigue washing over his body. The closest saw was centimeters now from Blaze's face.

Suddenly, the weapons' resistance decreased fully, and the saws retracted into the wall. Silver let the exhaustion take over, and he collapsed to the floor. "Silver!" Blaze ran over to his side and kneeled down. "Are you okay? What happened?" Silver's vision was a blur and his hearing was muffled, but he could still hear what the cat was saying. When he spoke, it sounded like a load of gibberish, and he had to hope it didn't sound that way. Apparently it did, for his only response was a confused look.

Slowly, (though Silver wasn't exactly sure how long it took), his vision returned to normal, and his hearing became a bit more crisp. "That was my psychokinesis." His voice didn't sound exactly _normal_, but he could understand himself, which was preferable. "It's dangerous when I overuse it. I just couldn't let you die."

Blaze just smirked. "Psychokinesis, huh? Pretty impressive. How do you do it?" Silver sat up and shook his head, clearing the fog in his mind. "I don't know. I just…do it." He chuckled weakly. "How do you make those flames?" She glared at him and opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to give up, waving a hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. What does matter is getting out of here. The doors are still locked and I don't particularly want those things to pop out of the walls again."

Blaze turned her head to look at the walls, wary for the sight of blades, and Silver couldn't help to notice a small line of red on her cheek. "You're bleeding…" He reached up a hand to touch her face, but she swatted it away. "It's nothing. I've dealt with worse." _I wasn't powerful enough. Just a moment later and she would have died. I'm not good enough…_

The lavender cat stood, and Silver grasped out at her hand, holding her in place. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't…" She tried to jerk away, but Silver held fast. "I told you, it's nothing." "No! It is something!" Their eyes met, both boring into each other for a moment before Blaze's gaze softened. "I'm fine. It's really nothing. Besides, if you hadn't been here, then who knows what could have happened?"

Silver looked away and nodded. "Hey, Blaze? When we get back, seeing how we live in the same dimension and all, then maybe…we could be friends?" Blaze smiled warmly. "Yeah. I'd like that. I could use a friend." A click was heard behind them, and Silver turned to see an opening door and a dazed pink hedgehog.

**Amy: Part IV**

_ Amy was on a grassy hill. She had just been sleeping underneath a large tree, but had been awoken by a loud voice_. _She wasn't quite sure what it had said, but she thought it sounded like Sonic's __voice. Her beloved's voice could be heard in the distance, and it sounded upset. He was yelling at someone. Amy slowly stood, feeling the springiness of the grass beneath her feet as she walked slowly towards her Sonic's voice. As she got closer, she could hear a second voice, though this one did not speak. This voice sounded like it was crying. It was female, and it was sobbing loudly._

_ "I never loved you and I never will!" That was what Sonic was repeating. He just said it over and over, in the same tone and volume every time. 'Of course he doesn't love her,' Amy thought, 'my Sonikku loves me.'_ _For some reason, when Amy told herself that, it just didn't feel real. It felt like she was lying. She walked over the next grassy hill, only to see Sonic, yelling at a weeping figure on the ground. Amy wanted to run towards him and jump into his arms, but something was preventing her. Her feet felt heavy, and she could only make small, measured steps._

_ The figure on the ground was only a black silhouette, no defining features. There was only that constant sobbing. Amy reached in arms length of the yelling blue hedgehog, and she reached out a gloved hand to grab his arm and pull him close. She wanted to soothe his troubled mind and take him away from the mass on the ground, but as her finger was about to touch his arm, an invisible barrier halted it. Sonic's voice was not muffled, as if there was glass in between them, and yet she could not touch him. Amy tried to get his attention. She tried to scream, but her throat felt constricted, her lungs deprived of air. She banged on the barrier, but it felt as if her arms were traveling through molasses. Even with all her strength, she couldn't truly hit the wall between her and her love._

_Then, in the midst of her attempts, the weeping silhouette on the ground began to gain color. Reds and pinks began to develop. White splotches appeared where hands would be, and rings of gold appeared just above those. A skirt could now be seen, and shiny red boots could be distinguished. Even with the figure's face buried in their gloved hands, Amy could recognize just who it was she was looking at. Sonic was not rejecting some foolish admirer; he was rejecting her. The yelling grew louder, and Amy strained to say something, anything. She stretched her vocal cords. She had to say something, to scream if need be. Sonic's voice boomed. It invaded her thoughts, affecting them in ways she found to be perverse. "I never loved you and I never will! I never loved you and I never will! I never loved you and I never will! I NEVER LOVED YOU AND I NEVER WILL!"_

Amy woke up screaming. She screamed until her lungs cried for air, ignoring the restraining hands and soothing voice above her. All that ran through her mind were the image of the weeping figure on the ground and the booming voice of Sonic. _I never loved you and I never will!_ It just kept repeating relentlessly through her head. It tortured her. It tormented her past the point of caring where she was or what might happen to her. The thoughts warped her consciousness to the point of not knowing whether she was still dreaming or not.

"Hey! Wake up! Wake up!" Someone was shaking her shoulders, and the voice was unfamiliar. It wasn't anyone she was acquainted with, so far as she knew. This rather freaked her out. Amy's eyes shot open, coming face to face with a face previously un-faced. She now came to realize that she was in a dark room on a cold metal table with a hurting head and a stranger looming over her, but she honestly didn't care. Only one thing was running through her mind.

"Where's Sonic?" The man hesitated for a moment, causing all sorts of horrible and vivid thoughts to run through Amy's head. She saw maiming and torturing, murdering and interrogating. It wasn't something she enjoyed one bit. Her voice got deeper, more malicious, and her hands shot up to the man's shoulders, shaking violently. "What did you do to my Sonic?" Her voice then ranged to the other side of the spectrum, becoming a shrill squeak. "I swear! If you've done anything to hurt _my_ Sonikku…" The high pitch lowered, coming back into her normal everyday tone. The shaking did not stop. "Tell me where he went! And if you can't do that, then tell me where someone is that can tell me where he went right this _very instant!_"

The man ripped his lab coat away from Amy's persistent grip and adjusted his unmoved glasses. "Sonic the Hedgehog went upstairs. The echidnas left, and the feline, (along with that psychokinetic prisoner), went in the back to get the Chaos Emeralds. They should be back…any…second…" The scientist widened his eyes in alarm before rushing off to a nearby computer terminal. Amy quickly stood up from the table and wished immediately that she hadn't.

A sharp pain shot through her head, blurring her vision and making her fingertips go numb. She shut her eyes as the pain turned dull, throbbing and coursing waves of numbness down her spine. When she opened them, she was on the floor, leaning against the table. Vaguely, she heard the man order her to stay sitting before returning to the computer terminal.

"Dammit! I should have warned them about the… Oh Chaos. They've just tripped it. I should have told them!" Amy heard frantic typing, followed by a slam of a fist on a hard surface. "It's hopeless. There's not enough time. I should have… Wait. I can do this. I just have to be quick!" The tapping continued, this time even faster than before.

Amy hadn't exactly been listening the whole time, but she had pieced together the basic facts. A feline and a 'psychokinetic' prisoner were trying to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds. They had fallen into some sort of trap. She didn't exactly trust this man that she had only known for no more than a minute, nor did she relish delaying her pursuit of Sonic, but she was a hedgehog that liked to help people, no matter how it may interfere with her personal matters. Amy was known to drop everything to help the helpless, and she found that it somehow always led to her running into Sonic. When there was an adventure to be found, whether it be a missing chao or a lost bird, it always led to traveling the world, seeing rare sights and chasing her 'boyfriend' at the end of it all. Of course, this time she was told exactly where Sonic was, but she had to fight the pressing urge to run to him, for she knew that there were people desperately in need of help at the moment.

Ignoring the rush and blurring of vision as she stood, Amy stumbled her way into the back of the dimly lit room, using every piece of furniture in her path as temporary supports. The scientist apparently didn't notice the pink hedgehog stand and leave, too distracted by the computer screen and whatever was so important that it needed to be typed so quickly. The room was just a large dark blur, and even the wall was invisible until it made contact with her outstretched arm. A faint buzzing sound could be heard…

The wall that her arm had made contact with was in fact a door, as evidenced by the handle. She reached down and grasped the handle, giving it a light turn. The door swung open, revealing an empty, albeit bright, room. Amy winced at the light and slammed the door shut. The buzzing sound was becoming faint, as if traveling slowly away, and the still woozy pink hedgehog quickly began searching for another door with the ever present thought that whoever these people were, they probably had very little time left.

Another door was reached, and this time Amy saw that there was a blinking red light above her head, signaling that this was probably where the duo was trapped. She leaned heavily onto the door handle, attempting simultaneously to twist it as she did so. The handle wouldn't budge. Amy tried again, this time not leaning quite as heavily and putting more force into the twist. Still no result. _I can't give up! They need my help!_ Mustering up her strength through the fuzziness in her head, Amy frantically jiggled the doorknob back and forth, not even creating enough sound to be heard over the incessant buzzing on the other side of the door.

_No! They need my help! I can't let them die! _The jiggling slowed to a stop. _I can't let them die!_ Amy turned slowly and slid her back down the door, landing her backside on the hard floor. _I can't… I can't be worthless… _A tear slowly trickled down her cheek. _I wasn't good enough to save them. I can't even get Sonic to love me…_ The tears grew more frequent. _I'm worthless. I tried to help. I tried my absolute hardest to help, but I just can't. I end up a hindrance. I crack my rib and get knocked unconscious. I can't even find out who it is Sonic loves!_

The light crying became heavy sobbing. Aforementioned sobbing caused Amy's wounded head to pound painfully, so she cradled her head heavily in her hands. She didn't exactly know how long she stayed like that, (weeping through a headache and listening for the sounds of a scream in the room behind her), but she did know when she snapped out of it. Her self-pitying stupor was interrupted by what she was expecting: a scream.

The scream was faint and nearly drowned out completely by the buzzing, but definitely distinguishable. Amy could also hear that it wasn't a mindless scream of pain, but rather one of request for help. The voice sounded oddly familiar to the pink hedgehog.

She lifted her head and wiped away the moisture under her eyes. One hand apprehensively reached upwards to the doorknob, hesitating slightly before grasping it. The door remained locked. The hand dropped, and Amy was prepared to begin another series of sobs if there hadn't at that moment been another shout, this one from the front of the lab, no doubt from the scientist that had tended to her wounds. This shout was one of triumph. In fact, it consisted of a single loud 'Yes!', followed by a quieter 'Chaos, that was close.'

These exclamations were not nearly as exciting to Amy as the sound that followed after: a small click from behind her head. With a sniffle and a wiping of damp eyes she slowly stood and turned to face the door. Her hand once more reached for the knob, again hesitating inches from its surface. The buzzing had stopped. Amy knew that this was probably a good sign, but something in the back of her mind was afraid of what she might see if she opened the door. _This is no time for cowardice! Open the door!_

She gripped the handle tightly and swiftly swung the door open; surprised to see a person she had thought lived in another dimension, as well as an unfamiliar white hedgehog. Even in her dazed state, Amy had to admit that she liked the stranger's boots.

**The Commander's Personal Log**

_9/27/09_

_It seems that even those without brains attempt to defy me. Now I have found that Violet, or the robot M-109, has blatantly disobeyed my orders. I have removed its memories, and it now swears allegiance to me, but I can only watch and wait for the final results. It would be a pity if Violet rejected the process. I would prefer to not have to use the same technique I did with M-107. Robots are expensive, and melting them for scrap makes much less than a profit._

_ In other news, the plan to exterminate the anthropomorphs is going surprisingly well. I have not yet heard any further news from any of the guards since they captured that white hedgehog._

_ Despite how inferior they may appear to be, some of the anthropomorphs have some interesting powers. The most recent prisoner was transferred to the laboratory for testing. His talent is an unusual one, and we are not sure of its full potential as of yet, but Dr. Frost tells me that we may be able to harness it for our own uses. Maybe soon I can turn their own weapon against them._

_ Frost also tells me that the tests of the rage drug went as according to plan. Everything went as I had expected, even the side effects that he did not know about. When testing is complete, every soldier in GUN's employment will be on the R-6 drug. I will be unstoppable._

_ Yet still, even with all this good news, I find myself increasingly suspicious of those under my command. Violet's indiscretion has opened my eyes to the possibility that others might also disobey me. I have been keeping a tighter grasp and a closer eye on all agents, guards, soldiers, and scientists. Even the office workers make me nervous, and it makes me question my sanity. I need to relax, but I find it hard with all those monsters out there._

_ My parents are dead because of one of them, and though my brother says he has forgotten that night, that he was too young, it is obvious from his actions that he hasn't. I tell him that he is handling it incorrectly, and that's why I became the Commander. I won't stop until they're avenged, even if it means killing every single one of them._

_ My plan will go through as I have foreseen, and even if it doesn't, I will find another way. As my parent's son, and as the Commander of GUN, I swear that when the last anthropomorph dies, it will be by my hand, and as the disgusting creature breathes its last breath, I will stare it right in the eyes and tell it who caused its deserved death. I will tell them that it was Ver… _(Message is cut off by an urgent message from a hysterical guard)


	14. Chapter 14

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SONIC!  
**

**WOOT WOOT!  
**

****(You as well, Eggman.)

* * *

**Shadow: Part IV**

Shadow honestly couldn't find a single logical reason for why he had kissed his rival, nor did he have one for why he enjoyed it. As far as he was concerned, he hated the cocky blue hedgehog. Whatever the strange emotion was that had been taking over recently was beginning to really irritate him, especially when he realized he was no longer annoyed by Sonic's childish behavior. Something in the back of his head kept insisting that it was endearing, and that confused him, which in turn made him angry at his own thoughts. Shadow was almost to the point of trying to force himself into hating Sonic right then and there. However, something told him that he had never truly hated the hero, even when he foiled his plans.

As the duo walked quickly up the stairs, Shadow could feel the other hedgehog's eyes boring into him. It was an unsettling feeling, and something even Rouge was more discreet about. It made him wonder. After that incident in the cell, and that affection outside the lab, what did that make them? Were they lovers? Were they still rivals? Whatever they were, how would Sonic's friends react?

"What does this make us?" Shadow could almost sense Sonic's shock at the question behind him, and the nervous chuckle accompanying his response confirmed it. "W-what?" The Ultimate Lifeform did not slow, nor did he spare a glance behind him. "You heard me, faker. What does what happened in that cell make us?" Another nervous chuckle, no doubt accompanied by a heavy blush. "Well… I guess I hadn't really thought about it. But I don't think it really needs a title. Let's just keep labels out of it for now. And let's not tell anybody yet, either."

Something had made Sonic uneasy, that much was for sure. That in turn made Shadow unsure if them being together was, in fact, normal. The hero had never acted this uneasy around Amy when she insisted something existed between them, even though she was pushy and obnoxious. There was something that Sonic knew that Shadow didn't.

After all, Shadow hadn't had much experience with matters of romance. He had heard of sappy romance movies, and had seen people walking down the street hand in hand. As far as he could tell, people doing these sorts of things were perfectly normal, so the fact that Sonic had acted so strange about it set him on edge. He might have been created around fifty years prior, but he had only spent ten out of some form of cryogenic sleep. Even then, none of those were really dedicated to learning how Mobians act.

Shadow spun around, halting the other hedgehog in his tracks. "There is something you are not telling me. Why must people not be told?" Not that Shadow told anybody anything about himself anyway, but there was something wrong here, and he needed information. Sonic seemed shocked. "You mean you don't know?" Shadow didn't feel like an answer was necessary, so he merely glared. "Well, Shadow. What this is… Well it's not exactly…ordinary."

The glare continued, silently urging to continue. "You see, most…some people don't like what this," he pointed back and forth between the two, "is. It's considered…wrong." Shadow continued glaring, not exactly getting what the point was. "Shadow. It's considered normal for a couple to be a man and a woman, not two men."

So that was what this was all about? Frankly, Shadow couldn't see what those people's problems were. As far as he had observed, a couple is between two _people_, not strict sexes. He had never even considered that he might be society's abnormal. Female anatomy had always repulsed him, but he found that natural due to the fact that he was the Ultimate Lifeform, and that anything he didn't have must be completely useless and no doubt a hindrance. Shadow had no plans to go out telling anyone about his relationship anyway, but he decided to put extra effort if that was what Sonic wanted. _Chaos. I'm being sappy…_

"If that is what you wish, then nobody will know." He turned and continued walking up the stairs. A hand appeared on his shoulder. "Thanks, Shads. It's just… I don't know how they would react. My friends… My fans… Blaze knows, but I know she won't tell anyone. I just don't what Tails to find out… Or Amy. I don't want to lose people. I mean, we can say something eventually, but just not right now. Now's the wrong time."

The duo reached the fourteenth floor, and Shadow gave a light nod as he gripped the handle to the door into the corridor. "Agreed." "The door opened, revealing an empty corridor. Plain grey office cubicles and windows lined the right wall, and the occasional bulletin board or bland painting was hung along the left. All workers had apparently been evacuated, and all guards had probably gone down to the brig.

The two hedgehogs walked quickly down the eerily quiet hallway, soon coming upon a plain dark wood door. A small golden plaque was posted upon the door, stating the word 'DARK' in simple capital letters. Shadow imagined that Sonic was probably inwardly excited to see his office, and he had to suppress a smirk as he pictured the inevitable reaction.

The gold doorknob was twisted, and the wooden door swung open to reveal a darkened room. Heavy purple curtains, (Rouge's work), were drawn over the windows, and Shadow didn't even bother flicking the light switch, for there was an automatic system, (Omega's contribution), that turned them on to a dim setting, (Shadow's preference). When the automatic lights came on, a rather unorthodox room could be seen. It was clear to see who had done what.

Strewn about the room were various mechanical and robotic components, some distinguishable, and others piles of twisted metal. The highest concentration of the scrap was around a workbench, on top of which were a variety of bullets and missiles, the reload for Omega's many guns. Luckily there had not yet been an accident with the explosives.

On the back wall was a large picture of the Master Emerald sitting atop its shrine. Scribbled around the picture were various notes and plans. Beneath was a desk that had a large safe installed into its side that only Rouge knew the combination to. Scattered atop the desk were various rhinestones and small photos of jewels, each with a few notes written on them. One in particular was a picture of the green Chaos Emerald with the note 'Forest. Damn camouflage.'

In one corner, completely separated from the other two and hidden by a simple black barrier, was another desk. Sonic could not see this desk, but Shadow knew exactly what it contained. In the top drawer was a handgun, and next to that was a picture of Maria. It was a picture from a few days before her death. She was standing in front of a window that gave a perfect view of the planet below the ARK space station, and the smile on her face was worth a million rings.

"Wow. Nice office. So is yours behind that black thing? You're so _mysterious_, Shads." _Hmph. That wasn't the reaction I was expecting…_ "Then what were you expecting?" Shadow just slowly looked over at the blue hedgehog, who, coincidentally, was grinning hugely. That weird mind reading thing was not only beginning to irritate him, but also kind of freaked him out… Not that he would ever openly admit that.

Shadow shook his head and scowled as he walked over to the black partition, and he was almost behind it when he was stopped. "Um, Shads?" The only response was a well-placed glare. "I've been in a cell with other people for almost two days now, and I uh… y'know what I'm saying?" "No." "Well, I kinda need to know… Where's the bathroom?"

The Ultimate Lifeform sighed and motioned to the hallway. "To the left." A blue streak zoomed out of the room, leaving Shadow with his thoughts, which is the way he preferred. He walked around the barrier and into his small corner of the office, the place where he spent most of his time when he was at the GUN headquarters. It was a refuge, a way to be at work without dealing with people. Of course Rouge was hard to avoid no matter what, but that was something he had learned to live with.

Shadow perched himself on the edge of the ordinary black office chair behind the plain grey desk and slid open the top drawer. Just where he had left them were the gun and the photo, the former of which being what he was looking for. He grabbed the weapon and stood, ready to close the drawer and walk away, but was stopped as he always was. It seemed impossible for Shadow to walk away from Maria's picture without even acknowledging it; it just felt _wrong_.

After casting a cautious glance to see if Sonic was going to walk through the door, Shadow reached back into the drawer and pulled out the small photo of his first and best friend. He just stood there for a moment and looked at Maria's smiling face, letting a light smirk creep up onto his face. It wasn't a mean smirk, (the sort that were accompanied by a scowl and directed at pretty much anyone annoying him), but rather a warm gesture. In fact, it was almost a loving smile.

Shadow carefully placed the photo back into the drawer and closed it before exiting his refuge and making his way directly to Omega's heavy artillery workbench. He opened up a drawer with a small strip of red tape stuck to the front, revealing various ammunitions and handgun attachments. A few magazines and a small box of extra ammunition were selected and stowed away safely in Shadow's head quills before the drawer was closed carefully, mindful of the one next to it with a strip of purple tape across the front. There had yet to be an accident involving Rouge's bomb supplies in the office, and Shadow wanted to keep it that way.

Two reasons for coming now out of the way, Shadow approached the small wall shelf next to the door. Rouge had insisted on putting it there so the black hedgehog wouldn't forget his communicator, even though she knew he always brought it with him. She had apparently convinced herself that his ignoring her was not ignoring at all. Her exact words were: "I can't imagine why someone wouldn't want to talk to _me_. You just keep forgetting your doohickey." After getting thoroughly irritated, Shadow conceded to letting her put the completely useless, (in his opinion), shelf up on the wall.

Only one communicator was present, and Shadow quickly snapped it on his wrist. He reached for the button, prepared for a no doubt frustrating conversation with Rouge, when a sound behind him caused him to whir around quickly. Three men were standing just inside the doorway, two of which had guns pointed right at Shadow. The third, right in the middle, was the Commander himself.

"Agent Shadow. You are scheduled to be executed. The people are waiting to see it, and I intend to watch it happen." Shadow knew that even with his incredible speed, raising his gun even in the slightest would be incredibly foolhardy, so he let it slip slowly from his fingers. The guards appeared to increase in nervousness as the weapon hit the carpeted ground, but Shadow and the Commander kept unbroken eye contact the entire time. The mustached man raised a hand as a signal for the guards to stand their ground. "That was wise, Agent Shadow. Now, come with us. The sooner you comply the sooner we can concentrate our time on other matters."

The obsidian hedgehog stood his ground, not visibly moving a single muscle in his body. "Why are you doing this?" The Commander smirked. "Do I need a reason?" Shadow's voice did not rise, nor did it lower. It stayed perfectly calm and balanced. "Most people have a reason for attempting genocide, _sir_."

Shadow was sure that none of the other people could hear it, but there were swift footsteps coming down the hallway. The footsteps slowed down as they approached the door. He just had to stay perfectly still and hope that the result of Sonic's entrance wouldn't be too drastic. _Somehow, I heavily doubt it._

The Commander's mouth opened to say something else, but he was swiftly interrupted by the door swinging open, both revealing a blue hedgehog and catching an edge on the head of the guard to the left of the Commander. The man wobbled a moment before sliding slowly down the wall. "Shads, who's the guy with the lip fuzz?"

Both conscious men turned to look at the new arrival, and Shadow took this as his golden opportunity. Working as quickly as he possibly could, the Ultimate Lifeform rushed forward and grabbed the gun in the guard's hands, instantly shoving it back into the man's face. The sound of his nose breaking could easily be heard as the guard's finger reflexively pulled back on the trigger. The dart escaped the barrel and stuck into an unlikely target: the Commander's neck.

Before the Commander was shot, he had just been able to pull a small knife out of his pocket. At the same time, Sonic moved forward to help Shadow by fully incapacitating the guard with the broken nose. By an odd twist of fate, the two collided, sending them both to the floor. Shadow rushed toward Sonic, pushing the now unconscious Commander away and completely ignoring the escaping guard with the bleeding nose.

Stuck deep in Sonic's upper thigh was the very same knife that had been in the Commander's hand just moments before. Strangely, however, the hero didn't seem too fazed. "Shadow. I've been stabbed." Shadow decided to ignore the fact that Sonic had stated the painfully obvious and instead hesitantly reached for the handle. "Whoa! Shads, are you sure it's a good idea to take it out?" The black hedgehog withdrew his hand and began peeling his gloves off his hands, revealing the red-streaked fur beneath. "I can't imagine why it should be left in."

It was then that Shadow noticed that Sonic seemed to be fixed on his now bare hands. He never would have admitted this for the weakness that it would show, but the blue hedgehog was one of the only other people other than his creator himself to see him without gloves. Maria was the last to see his bare hands. It felt somewhat special, even given the bizarre circumstances.

"Stop staring, faker." Sonic did not reply, but instead lifted himself halfway up and pulled Shadow's head in for a slow, loving kiss. It was several moments later when they broke apart, and when they did, Shadow felt a pleasant fluttering in his stomach. He suppressed a small smirk as he once more hesitantly reached for the knife handle. He saw Sonic brace himself, and instantly stopped. Despite times in the past, it was never truly Shadow's wish to cause the other any great pain, especially in light of recent events. But if he was going to help him, which was his current goal, that knife would have to come out no matter what.

Shadow mustered up his courage and grasped the handle. He began to pull slowly, careful not to twist even the slightest bit, and the blade itself soon became visible. Sonic's eyes were shut tight, and his mouth was made into a grimace as the blood-coated metal gradually exited his leg. Shadow grew sick, not from the blood, nor was it seeing Sonic in pain; he'd seen both those things plenty. It was an odd inner sensation, and something he couldn't logically explain, but would definitely try later on.

The knife fully parted from Sonic's thigh, and blood began to flow out of the now open wound. Knowing exactly what he had to do next, Shadow grabbed his removed gloves and placed one over the hole before placing Sonic's hand over it and instructing him to apply pressure. He quickly tied the fingertips of the gloves together, followed by the cuffs on the other side. The hero released the air he was holding in and leaned back on the floor, closing his eyes and making an obvious attempt at regulating his breathing.

Now there was an unpredicted complication to the plan. Sonic was hurt, and he couldn't very well run with that sort of wound in his leg, but he also wouldn't really enjoy being left out of anything. He would put up as big a fight as possible, one that even Tails wouldn't be able to counter. No, the only way Shadow would be able to get him to stay behind would be to bribe him. But the only problem with that was that Sonic was a _hero_, one that would never accept a bribe, no matter what. He would have to use personal information. His apartment would do.

Then there was the matter of the newly unconscious Commander. Shadow knew that he would likely go even more ballistic once he woke up, no doubt sending a full search force after every escaped prisoner and their loved ones. The Commander was not above it, and that was the truly frightening thing. Shadow just needed a place to keep him securely and unharmed until he could be brought to justice. The first and most fitting place that came to mind was a location with many painful memories.

Shadow helped Sonic up, letting him use him as a crutch. He'd have to come back for the Commander. He would contact Rouge at the same time…

**Tails: Part III**

The escape was rather uneventful, and it made Tails nervous. He could tell it made his echidna companions nervous, also, judging by the way Knuckles kept his hands in fists and how Tikal was constantly glancing back over her shoulder. He couldn't blame them, really. After what had been happening, it was almost expected to be thrown back in another cell that they would eventually break out of. It was a foreseeable, if slightly fantastical, play of events.

What actually happened was simple and, (compared to recent events), quite boring. There weren't any guards, nor were there any office workers. Tails judged by the sun that it was probably seven o'clock in the evening, almost primetime for all sorts of vandals and trespassers, yet there was no night watch. The GUN headquarters was eerily quiet, almost as if it were stopped in time.

The echidnas instantly took off for Angel Island and the Master Emerald, leaving Tails alone to return to his workshop to make a few adjustments to the holograph projector. When Shadow had ordered Tails to retrieve thieving supplies, he knew not only what he was planning, but also what to get. The genius had to admit that it would have been convenient if he still had the telescoping ladder, and that it would have been nice if he had remembered to grab a laser cutter when they were in the lab, but the projector would be useful on its own, anyway. _I could swear Rouge already had both those two, anyway… Hmmmm…_

As Tails saw it, when a man keeps an object of great power in his office, then he's obviously paranoid about it, and if he's paranoid, then he'll probably check back on it often. Also, the Commander was the type of guy to abuse his power and order several guards to stand next to it until they got sores on their feet. Therefore, someone would notice the book was missing quite quickly. After that moment there would be chaotic and violent search parties chasing Rouge around with large guns.

Tails reached his workshop in the Mystic Ruins as quickly as the train could take him, which was too slow for his taste. He practically leaped out the train's doors before they were even fully open and instantly began rotating his tails, lending him a speed boost. The fox ran as fast as possible through the waning light, growing ever closer to the building in the distance, standing in front of which was a small figure.

Tails squinted his eyes and slowed down a bit, attempting to see exactly who was standing outside his home at such an hour. They were shorter than him, but it was difficult to make out any more than that. Still straining to see, Tails pressed onward. Then, just as he was beginning to see colors on the figure, it raised one hand high in the air and waved it back and forth. Flying around the figure's arm was a small, blue chao.

_Of all the times…_ Tails closed the distance between him and the workshop. "Hi Tails! I thought I would bring you some cookies! They might be a little cold by now…" Cream looked down sadly into the basket on the ground near her feet. The cookies within did indeed look rather less than fresh baked. "Cream? How long have you been here?" The small rabbit beamed at Tails as he reached under a stone for his spare key.

"Well, I came here this morning when they were fresh, but I guess you weren't here, so I came back about an hour ago." Tails had to admit that it was touching to have someone care enough to not only make him cookies in the first place, but to come and wait for an hour for him to return. It was a kindness that only Cream would give.

Tails unlocked the door and let the girl and her chao into the workshop. He quickly grabbed the basket of cookies before entering himself and closing the door behind him. "Thanks, Cream. That was really sweet of you." The chao flew up in front of their faces and quickly piped up. "Chao!" Cream waggled a finger at the small creature. "Now, Cheese. You shouldn't interrupt." "Chao chao!"

It seemed that whatever the chao had to say was very important, but Tails couldn't for the life of him understand what it was. Cream had always had an odd knack for knowing exactly what Cheese wanted to get across, however, but she never really translated for others. Tails found that he just had to guess most of the time. "Yes, Cheese. I'm sure Mr. Tails already knows about the bad people, but thank you for reminding."

This caught Tails off-guard. Already he had to deal with a thieving operation, the retrieval, recharge, and return of all of the Sol Emeralds, and an ancient evil spell book. Now there were 'bad people'? What kinds of 'bad people'? "Bad people? Who are the bad people, Cream?" The young rabbit's face turned into one of story telling, one that seemed like it should have a flashlight under it. "My mom said that there are bad people out there right now. She said the big guy at GUN made people not like us. She said I should be careful, but I still brought you cookies!"

_The Commander turned humans against Mobians? Why? The train conductor _did_ seem to be giving me an odd look. I guess I was lucky that there weren't any other passengers. Why would the Commander do something like this? Now he's made it dangerous for Cream to even step outside her house. I have to admit that it was sweet for her to bring me cookies, though…_

"Cream, you should come inside. I have to do something in the workshop really quick." The rabbit beamed at him and grabbed the basket of cookies, following after into the building. Tails waited for Cream to enter before shutting the door and putting a finger up in a 'just a moment' gesture. He rushed to the workshop and to the tool bench within, letting Cream do whatever she would.

On the tool bench, right where he had left it, was the portable holograph projector. The device was not yet completed, however, due to the fact that the hologram wasn't quite to scale. Luckily, Tails knew how to correct that. If his calculations were correct, then the scanner module simply needed an automatically adjusting sensor calibrated into it. He also thought that he might have to fortify the connection wires…

Tails' work was quick, and the casual observer might have thought he was deliberately trashing the workshop. The actuality of it was that he was darting around the room collecting various technical parts and tools to connect the parts to other parts that were equally as technical. He assumed that there could be nothing done about the solidity of the holograms at the moment, but it would have to do.

A test was made, creating a replica of the Tornado. While the size should have been expected, it was still shocking how large the almost weightless hologram was. Needless to say, it worked perfectly. Tails looked down at the device in his hand, trying to remember if any other adjustments needed to be made. The battery power would only last four or five hours, but there was really very little he could do about that. There was really only one thing left to do, even if it seemed trivial. He had to repaint the button.


	15. Chapter 15

**Knuckles: Part IV**

Knuckles wasn't exactly sure it was safe to leave Tikal with the Master Emerald unprotected. Sure, she could take care of herself, but if Eggman chose this moment to strike, the added distraction could prove extremely cumbersome. _Come to think of it, where _is_ Egghead, anyway? I haven't heard a threat in almost a month…_

The guardian had originally planned to actually stay with Tikal on Angel Island, doing his job, but a thought struck him that made him leave. They had everyone useful that could be on their side. Blaze somehow showed up, a strange white hedgehog started helping them, and once Vector was back in operation, even Team Chaotix would be working on their were two people that had not been 'recruited' yet: Rouge and Omega.

Now, Knuckles had pretty much no idea where to find the latter of the two, for he wasn't sure if the robot actually lived anywhere, or if he just miraculously appeared whenever GUN needed him. To be honest, Knuckles doubted if even his teammates knew that information. The only person who knew, (most likely), was probably the Commander himself, someone the echidna had absolutely no desire to speak to regarding any circumstances.

So, needless to say, Knuckles went to Club Rouge. It wasn't exactly easy, what with soldiers and people that wouldn't hesitate to point you out to the soldiers patrolling the streets, so most of the trip was gliding soundlessly between buildings. The rest was lurking in the shadows, for a sky patrol had begun to form, as seen by the occasional helicopter cutting through the waning light.

It took a while to reach his destination with the amount of stealth he was using, but when he did get there, Knuckles was rather irritable. The door to the club was locked; a note over the door handle reading simply that Rouge was not in. This _really_ bugged him. _She doesn't even bother to put an excuse? Not even a 'be back soon'?_ Ready to walk off and pursue alternative help, Knuckles pushed off of the glass front door of the club, completely forgetting about the spikes on the end of his fists. He froze as he heard the sound of glass cracking, not sure if he should panic, cover it up, or just walk away.

"So you thought you'd just come break my front door while I was gone? You sure know how to treat a girl, Red." The echidna's fur prickled at the sound of Rouge's voice, still not moving his fist as he turned to see the bat standing with hand on her right hip. Her mouth was curled in a joking smirk, but something behind her narrowed eyes hinted at a prickle of anger. "Uh… Rouge…"

Her eyebrows rose expectantly, and Knuckles realized that his fist was still on the glass of the door. He sheepishly took it away, but quickly adopted a look of irritation, almost making it seem as if it was all her fault there was a crack in the glass. "Where have you been? Don't you know what's been happening?" Rouge just waved a hand in the air nonchalantly as she reached for her keys. "I've been doing important things. _Some_ people's jobs actually require work." _What?_ "What's that supposed to mean, Batgirl!" She opened the door and entered the club, paying no attention to the fissure caused by the guardian's fist. "Man. You really are slow, aren't you?"

_What? How did this turn into a dispute about my intelligence? I mean, I did break the door, but I don't see how that correlates with brain capacity!_ "Hey! Guarding the Master Emerald is an important job, and it takes massive amounts of work. If you weren't always trying to steal it, then maybe you'd see that!" Rouge walked to the other end of the dim room that, on any other night, would probably be filled with the sounds of loud music and drunken chatter. She made little 'tsk' noises in time with her heels. "Y'know, you're right. It is _awfully_ hard work to lie in the sun all day next to the largest and most beautiful gem in the world. You should get a paid vacation."

Knuckles could feel the heat of anger rising to his face. _Why does she always do this! She just has to argue! I always get sucked into some pointless argument! I don't have time for this! I need to conclude my business and get back to Tikal at the island!_ He calmed down enough for his voice to at least have a normal volume. "I don't have time for this, Batgirl. You need to know what's going on. Yesterday, the…"

A light beeping noise emanated from the device on Rouge's wrist, cutting Knuckles off mid-sentence. "Hold up, Red. While I'm sure what you're about to say is fascinating, I have to take this." He felt a prickle of anger rise as the jewel thief pressed a button on the device. The voice that came through was shocking and unexpected, causing Knuckles to believe that he must have missed a part of the plan back in the GUN laboratory.

"Rouge," Shadow began over the communicator, sounding businesslike as usual, "where are you at the moment?" Rouge seemed just as surprised as Knuckles was. "Shadow? I just got back from my mission. I'm at the club right now. What's going on, hon?"

"I cannot explain over the communicator."

"Then where exactly can you?"

"Meet me at the old robotics factory in Old Town. I need to speak to you in person."

"Old factory? What have you gotten yourself into, Shadow?"

"Just meet me there. Do not travel by air. They're watching the skies."

"Who, exactly, is watching the skies?"

The communication was cut off with a little beep, causing an indistinguishable yet clearly irritated mumble to escape Rouge's lips. Knuckles honestly didn't know how or why she was a friend with that unpleasant black and red hedgehog. "Rouge. Before you leave, I need to tell you…" She strolled past him, lightly placing a gloved finger on his lips as she did. "It will have to wait. As much as I enjoy our little spats, I'm afraid I must be off. _Au revoir._ Lock the door as you leave."

That was another question Knuckles often found himself asking. As he heard the front door close, he once again wondered why he enjoyed Rouge's company. She irritated him. She was constantly trying to steal the Master Emerald and poking fun at him. Somehow she was able to perform childish, immature actions and make it look suave and polite. There were several conversations, (or arguments), where it was easy to forget that she was trying to steal something from you. Yet, with all these things that irritated the guardian to no end, there was still something about her that he enjoyed being around.

**Vector: Part II**

He hurt. That was what he could notice before anything else. His head throbbed. His muscles ached. His stomach churned and his feet felt numb. To put it in short, understandable words, Vector didn't feel very good at all.

Even in the dim room, the light hurt his eyes. There was an unpleasant metallic taste in his mouth that only seemed to get worse the more he swallowed to get rid of it. He groaned from the aching pains, but even his vocal chords were uncooperative, so it came out more like a choked gasp. Instantly there was a hand holding him from getting up. Vector tried again to open his eyes, once more being blinded by the dim light. Instead he attempted speech, getting only dry, crackly results. "Don't try to speak. You've been out for a while now."

That voice sounded somehow familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He couldn't remember much past sitting in cell #3. Vector swallowed, trying to both rid his mouth of the metallic taste and make it easier to speak. It didn't really work that well on either front, and his second attempt at speech was yet another rasp. The restricting hand remained on his shoulder. "I told you not to speak. The drug wore off about fifteen minutes ago. If my calculations are correct, then you shouldn't be due for another dose for at least another fifteen."

_That's right! I remember now! I was taken from the cell by some scientist guy and dragged in here! They injected me with some sort of drug. If this guy thinks he can do that again, then he's sorely mistaken! _Vector tried to lift his right arm, but the full-body ache seemed to prevent it. Instead, he cracked open his eyes just a bit. The light was still harsh, and it seemed there was nothing he could do to change that. However, he was able to spot the same scientist that had dragged him into this in the first place hovering over him.

"Over-sensitivity to light?" Vector managed a small nod as he again tried to lift his arm, now intent on showing the scientist the business end of his fist, but to no avail. "Maybe my calculations were off a bit. Now, you need to listen to me. The Commander had you injected with the rage drug we have been calling R-6. The withdrawal effects of this drug can have very serious consequences. It is not and never has been my intent to cause any harm, but I need to give you another dose.

This one will be light, nowhere near the magnitude of the last. It will simply help you get back on your feet. I heard from the pink hedgehog that your team members are being held in the brig. She wanted me to tell you to save them and go to Mystic Ruins. I will not follow you. This is not a trap. I just want to help any way I can. Will you let me?"

As much as Vector wanted to mangle the scientist for injecting him with R-2000 or whatever the hell it was called, he slowly began to realize through the throbbing pain in his head that he really had no choice. The 'pink hedgehog' was _probably _Amy, though what she was doing here was more than he knew. He also knew that he had to rescue his team. It was actually kind of surprising that Espio hadn't found a way to escape already.

Vector tried to speak, but it just came out as a small crackle, so he nodded slightly instead. The scientist must have noticed, because steps could be heard crossing the room immediately after. A small beeping sound, (probably something unlocking), followed by a light creak of cabinet hinges and a clink of glass bottles emanated through the black consciousness of the ailing crocodile. The cabinet closed and footsteps grew closer as the scientist spoke once more. "I will inject the serum now. You may feel a bit of anger afterwards. It would be best for both of us if you could control it as much as possible."

Before he could attempt a response, Vector felt something invade his arm. Luckily, his arm was already mostly numb, so he was spared any pain the needle could have caused. A few moments after, he could feel an odd warmth begin to envelop him. It was most welcome, for it seemed to release every muscle it flowed over from the torment they had been feeling. The emotion that accompanied the warmth, however, was much less pleasant.

It was anger, that much was obvious, but it wasn't anything he had felt before. It wasn't the same as the anger against the scientist for locking him up and using him as a lab rat. No, this was mindless. There was something about it that separated it from every other emotion, something almost _disgusting_. Vector knew he had no reason to feel this blindly hateful, and it actually kind of scared him. He felt out of control.

Consciously remembering the scientist's words from mere moments earlier, the crocodile strove to push out the unpleasant emotion, or to at least block it somehow. He tried forcing another emotion, but nothing from fear to joy could successfully overpower it. He tried to just ignore it, but it only seemed to grow when he did that. Nothing seemed to be working.

During his concentration, Vector had at some point gotten to his feet. The sudden surprise did nothing against the rage. The scientist had backed up to a fair distance, obviously terrified of whatever was glowing behind his eyes. "You must control it! Think of your happiest memory; something that you treasure above all else!" The man's shouts did penetrate the mask of emotion, and Vector most certainly made an effort. He thought about music, but that fell short. He thought about huge piles of rings, but that fell even shorter. He thought about thrills, adventure, excitement, and the rush of a mystery solved, but it just wasn't enough. It seemed that his memory banks were unloaded, until a stray image floated by.

The image wasn't a memory; it was more of a fantasy yet to come. There was no setting. No green grass, no roof overhead, no wind, sunlight, darkness, or rain. It was almost a void, were it not for the people inhabiting it.

Everyone was there. Every human and every Mobian that Vector had ever known was present. His parents were there, talking with some of their friends that he had met when he was younger. Childhood friends conversing with new friends, and old clients laughing at jokes from local comedians, all mixed together in a strange merging of times, places, and ideas. The famous Sonic was there, as well as some of his friends. Tails, Shadow, Amy…they were all there. Charmy flew around, making the occasional comment at what someone was saying, but even then, nobody cared. Even Espio did not try to stop him. Every face had a smile, and everyone's joy was genuine.

This sudden thought, a simple dream that all the people Vector knew could be happy, confused him. He did not intentionally conjure this thought, but it seemed to be working nonetheless. The rage was dimmed from a bonfire to a small match, and somehow it seemed a containing shell had formed around it. Once the anger had mostly drained, Vector couldn't help but think that he didn't know he cared about people that much.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" The scientist seemed truly concerned, and Vector for some reason appreciated that. "Naw. I'm fine. It's mostly gone now. I need to rescue my team." The crocodile, still a little bit shocked and confused, began a slow walk towards the door, but was stopped by a quiet call of 'Stop!' behind him. "I wish I could help, but I would be caught on the cameras and the Commander would be irked to say the least. After you save your team, you need to return to me so I can explain about your condition in more detail. I'll be waiting. Good luck."

Vector gave a quick small nod and turned to the door, almost walking out before realizing something. "Hey." The scientist turned and pushed his hair out from in front of his glasses. Vector tried to appear as friendly as possible. "I think I forgot your name." The man seemed suddenly and irrationally nervous, and his response almost came out more like a question, rather than a statement. "Henry Frost." The crocodile smiled and gave a light salute as he left the door. "Pleasure to meet you, Henry. My name's Vector."

He left the laboratory before the man had a chance to answer, lingering in the stairwell for a moment before realizing that he didn't know which way do go. Vector popped his head back into the room and was about to ask for directions when Frost, who already seemed to know why he was reentering, interrupted him. "Down until you reach the bottom." Vector once again gave a light salute and closed the door.

While the mindless rage was heavily diminished, it was still present. The sudden vision of happiness, (Vector was still a bit confused about that), had not destroyed it. Instead, it seemed that it had only driven the beast back into its proverbial cave. Therefore, Vector still felt the shadow of the unpleasant emotion pressing on his shoulders as he descended the stairs.


	16. Chapter 16

**Espio: Part I**

The Door taunted him. It sat there, blocking his way and laughing in his face about it. Escape was futile as long as the Door remained closed, which is why Espio had to plan ahead. The only problem was that the guards did not open the Door at the expected time on this day.

He had timed it all after a few days. The guards came with food, (if you could call it that), promptly at 6:24 p.m. every day so far, so Espio was quite disappointed when they didn't show at the right time. He stayed patient, however, and stayed hidden just next to the Door for a good fifteen to thirty minutes. There was a scream at around 6:15, but that was the extent of his excitement, for even the view outside his window was as droll as ever.

The chameleon had pretty much given up by 7:30, and he had begun to accept that the guards might not even come in the morning, either. He had started to come to terms with the fact that he might die of thirst in a few days by 7:43, and it was around 7:58 that he realized sleeping might be the best option to pass the time. At 8:04, he tiredly wondered about how his teammates in the cells on either side of him were faring, and it was 8:07 when he fell into an uncomfortable sleep on the cold, stone floor.

_Espio was in a dark room. He could not see, and yet he knew where the walls were, and how fast they were closing in on him. They closed in rapidly, and he held out his arms to brace them, but the walls slipped right passed. His arms felt as if they were sinking into the stone surfaces, not slowing anything down in the slightest. They suppressed his breathing, not truly crushing him, but constricting his lungs. All air was squeezed out, and an invisible barrier was keeping any from entering his body. Espio felt as if he couldn't hold on much longer…_

_ Suddenly, a light appeared in the darkness and the constriction abruptly stopped. He gulped for air and stared at the light. It seemed distant, and he was about to move towards it when a silhouette blocked the opening. Just a black shadow inside a white frame, the figure approached. Its boots were soundless as it paced forward, and just as Espio was about to see colors…_

"Yo! Wake up!"

"Yeah, you sleepyhead! Wake up!"

Both voices were familiar, but only the first was he truly glad to hear. Not to say that he wasn't worried about Charmy, it was just that he always got a bit on Espio's nerves. After all, he wasn't very useful in missions; he was always seen as more of a cute 'mascot', not that they even needed one of those.

"I thought you said you were a ninja! You should've escaped by now!" _Shut up, Charmy…_ Espio stood and rubbed a bit of sleep out of one eye. "If the guards had been on time, then I would have." Vector looked away when he said this, a remorseful shadow in his eyes. "What happened?"

Charmy once again flew up right in Espio's face, but instead had a serious look on his face, something rare for the small bee. He spoke quietly; also rare. "The guards weren't here for a reason. Something bad happened to them." Espio looked around his teammates, expecting something to be seen in the hallway just outside the cell door, but the view was similar to earlier: dull. He walked around Charmy and spoke to Vector. "What happened?"

Vector glanced over to the youngest present, who was still floating nearby. "Charmy, why don'tcha go check the other cells. Save anyone you can." He handed the bee two ID cards and sent him on his way before turning back to Espio and giving a look of pure grief. "They made me do it, Espio. They gave me a drug. I don't even remember doing it…" The crocodile appeared to be on the edge of tears. Espio hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What did they make you do?" Vector stared at the ground and clamped his eyes shut. "I killed them." The chameleon was shocked, to say the least, but he allowed his teammate the opportunity to continue. "The guards. I saw them. Bloody. They were everywhere." A tear escaped one reptilian eye. "The Commander of this place injected me with a rage drug. I couldn't stop myself." Espio didn't know what to do say. "It's…okay, Vector…"

His hand was shoved off, and he was given the most intensely emotional glare that he had ever seen. It was a deep well of sorrow, grief, and guilt. Deep within was also another emotion. _Is that…anger?_ "No! It's _not_ okay! I killed those men! How many of them had families? Wives and children? Best friends? Parents? Siblings? I took away _lives_, Espio! I don't think you understand that!"

He chose to ignore the slight snarl that had entered Vector's voice. "You're right. I don't understand, but I still want to help. Let me help." There was a light silence before Vector spoke again, this time heavily controlled. "Charmy doesn't know, and I want it kept that way." Espio nodded. "I cleaned up what I could, but there are still the dents and cracks in the walls."

Another tear trickled down the scales on Vector's cheek. "That rage drug is still in my system. It has to be there or I'll die. There's a scientist in the lab that can help us." Espio still just nodded and smiled reassuringly.

"Some of 'em were already open, but they were all empty!" Charmy came zooming around the corner, but stopped when he saw the looks on his teammates' faces. "Um… Vector? Espio?" The two mentioned exchanged a small look, concerned gold meeting distraught orange, before Espio began walking towards the door, rather eager to leave the cell that he had been trapped in for several days now. "Come on, kid. Let's go upstairs."

Espio began walking down the hallway, certain that the other two would follow. "Hey! Don't call me kid!" He ignored the whine and continued forward, consciously noticing every crack in the wall and dent of the front desk. _I'm not sure what I can do, but I'll help as much as possible._

**Sonic: Part V**

Sonic knew that there was no amount of arguing that could have gotten him out of this one, partly because the thought of seeing Shadow's apartment made it all too tempting to just agree and go along with it. Of course, he had a reputation to uphold, and that included not doing anything the easy way, so he argued and put up a fight anyway. As it was, Sonic was now sitting in his new boyfriend's apartment, not bored, but feeling rather useless.

He couldn't _believe_ that he had let himself get stabbed by that mustached guy. Running was absolutely out of the question, and it made him feel like he was absolutely insane and someone was poking him repetitively in the leg and in the frontal lobe and everywhere with DULL HOT NEEDLES. Yeah, he _desperately _needed to get out and run.

Shadow had gone to meet Rouge, someone Sonic knew would increasingly irritate him more and more, what with her flirtatious ways and her obvious lusting for all things male, INCLUDING his recently acquired boyfriend. His thoughts were running wild, making up for the running that his legs had been deprived of, and it BUGGED him greatly, making him VERY irritable.

Sonic needed distractions, so he decided to explore Shadow's apartment, rummaging in every drawer and every closet, finding very little past the fact that the Ultimate Lifeform was one hell of a neat freak, (compared to him, anyway), and that nothing really had a strict color code. He would have expected Shadow to surround himself with dark things, the better to sit in dim rooms with and brood about how much everything on Mobius SUCKED.

No, there were no colors that were really even REMOTELY coordinated. There was boring beige next to bright green and shocking pink next to calm blue. NO PLANNING WHATSOEVER! It was like he didn't even CARE about what the world thought about his apartment.

His bed had black and blue sheets on it, (_well THAT'S fitting_), a combination Sonic found he actually kinda liked. The only problem was that it was a SINGLE bed. Absolutely NO room for Sonic when he stayed the night. _And I WILL stay the night, no matter WHAT Shads says. _Next to the bed was a plain wooden nightstand. In the drawer was a handgun. _How many of these things does he HAVE? Chaos, I DETEST guns…_

Sonic moved into the kitchen, limping along the way and cursing himself for getting stabbed in the leg by some RACIST as he did so. It was a plain, normal sized kitchen, and he had to wonder how much use it got. He knew that he couldn't boil water without BURNING it to a crisp, and it felt like just being in the kitchen would cause the oven to explode and cause shrapnel to come flying at him and hit him in the eye and he'd be BLIND, so he quickly moved back into the bedroom, and into the bathroom that was attached.

It was white, it was boring, and the towel racks were EMPTY. Shadow was APPARENTLY one of those guys that kept his towels shoved into some closet because it would be too much effort to put them on a rack. Sonic could sympathize with that.

The blue hedgehog opened up the medicine cabinet and looked at the contents within. Again, it was boring. Toothbrush, toothpaste, extra bar of soap, comb, etc., etc. Sonic noticed the fact that there wasn't any…protection, however, and he had to wonder if Shadow had ever been with anyone before… Not like HE was one to talk. Even with all the fan-girls, (and, no doubt, fan-boys), Sonic remained a virgin hedgehog. However, Shadow HAD been around for fifty FRICKIN' years, no matter how young he looked.

It was actually kind of creepy, now that Sonic thought about it. He'd have to bring that up with the Ultimate Lifeform later.

Still with the pressing URGE, NEED, and INTENSE WANT to just run as FAST and as FAR as possible, Sonic walked to the room he had been in when he first arrived: the living room. With black carpeting, (_Who's ever heard of THAT?_), and a brown leather couch, the living room was the most coordinated part of the whole house, if you ignored the bright pink lamp in the corner. _It was probably just the first one he saw at the store. He probably went there thinking 'Oh, I need a light in the living room', and it was probably the closest. He probably didn't even check the price. Why would he have to? GUN pays SO well, especially after saving the PLANET. He probably doesn't even know how much a gallon of milk is because he doesn't HAVE to know. I love him to death, but… What did I just think? Did I just say I LOVE him? Did I seriously say I love Shadow? Am I going fucking INSANE! WAS I JUST REALLY SERIOUS! WAS THAT REAL!_

The phone rang, a loud, obnoxious ring from the other room that pierced Sonic's equally loud and obnoxious thoughts, and he ran, ignoring the starbursts of pain shooting from his thigh to grab it and make it stop. He swept it off its cradle and jabbed a gloved finger onto the answering button before practically shouting into the phone. "Hello!"

"Sonikku? Is that you?" _Why the HELL is SHE calling HERE? _"Yeah, Amy." "Oh, thank Chaos! Where are you? You should be here helping! GUN has decided to attack us full force!" _FUCK THE FUCKING HOLE IN MY FUCKING LEG!_ "I'm a bit hurt, here. I can't really run, like, at all." There was scattered conversation away from the phone before Amy came back on the line. "Sonic. I'm going to bring you a Chaos Emerald. That'll help, right?" _Thank you world!_ "Yes, Amy. That would help lots."

* * *

OK. I actually believe that Sonic abhors cussing. The only reason he's doing it here is that he's driving himself partially insane.

It happens, man. It totally happens.


	17. Chapter 17

**Rouge: Part II**

The moment she learned that the object she was supposed to steal was some musty old book was the moment the information hungry monster in Rouge's head became alive and started tearing and gnawing at the sides of her mind. It drove her to coming close to dragging Shadow over hot coals for the details that he apparently 'had no time for'. Once those details were disclosed, however, Rouge was incredulous, (to say the least), about why on Mobius the Ultimate Lifeform couldn't spend two minutes at the beginning of their conversation to at least tell her why she wasn't allowed to fly on her way over to the abandoned robotics factory they found themselves behind.

Even when he finally did explain, Rouge could tell that he was omitting something; something not necessarily important, but something nonetheless. He told her everything, beginning with the Commander's summons and ending with Sonic being stabbed in their office, but still something seemed amiss. There was a twinge of hesitation in some places, like he wasn't sure what to say, and there was a complete lack of information in between being in the cell with the hero of Mobius and being released by Blaze, (to be honest, she wasn't sure if she had ever met a 'Blaze'), causing suspicions to arise. However, the jewel thief had realized that this was not the time for such things, so she let it sit on a mental shelf to be brought up later on.

She also didn't bother to question where Shadow would take the Commander, seeing as her previous interrogating had taken up too much time already, so she left the streaked hedgehog to his business and returned to her small apartment above Club Rouge. Knuckles had already left, but the crack in the glass of the front door was an unpleasant reminder of their strange, yet not uncommon, argument earlier. She found herself wondering exactly what emotion she felt around him. Irritation, to be sure, but it was always much smaller than others. Playfulness? Flirtatiousness? Sure, Rouge found Knuckles to be…reasonably attractive, but she never let her emotions go any further than that. It would complicate things.

Once in her apartment, (which, unlike Shadow's, was all color coordinated with purples and blacks of all shades and variations), Rouge made a beeline for her bedroom closet and the considerably large sized safe within. She was well aware that most people, her teammates included, would think that her safes at home and at work were simply for hoarding jewelry and expensive stones, but they would be most incorrect. True, if a jewel were precious enough, (e.g. a Chaos Emerald), she might keep it in one of her safes, but for the most part they were just for expensive, top secret, or particularly useful stealth and espionage equipment.

The contents of the safe in Team Dark's office were almost strictly related to spying. It was her work equipment; the GUN issued stealth suit, the bombs filled with knockout gas, her sophisticated computer hacking device, the grappling hook, (not that she'd ever really need it, what with flying ability and all), and a lightweight pair of night-vision goggles. This safe was more of a lockbox required by GUN to keep espionage safer and just the slightest bit more confidential.

Rouge's safe in her apartment, however, was much more personal, not to mention incriminating. In this container were her thieving supplies; her favorite black stealth suit, her silenced laser cutter, her telescoping ladder, an extra pair of night-vision goggles, a small, black backpack, and a signal-jamming device that frazzles particularly troublesome cameras. This safe would be the one to contain any valuable gems, and it would also be where the holograph projector would go once her current escapade was complete.

After lightly rotating the combination wheel on the metal door of the lockbox to the appropriate numbers, Rouge reached in to retrieve the necessary items. First out was the backpack, followed by the laser cutter, the goggles, the camera-frazzling device, and the stealth suit. She figured that the ladder would be largely unneeded.

The skilled thief quickly went about putting on the stealth suit, covering her pink chest plate that, if in the wrong light, could jeopardize the entire operation. She left the mask/hood part of the suit off as the rest of the equipment was packed into the bag, holograph projector included, and hauled onto her back. She made sure the straps were clipped together in front so the bag didn't fall as she was flying before she closed the safe, turned off the lights, and walked calmly out the apartment door. A light smirk crept over Rouge's face.

_Hmph. I've always wanted to steal something from GUN. Other than those night-vision goggles, that is. _She opened the front door, ignoring the crack in the glass. _I mean, sure, working for GUN has its perks, and it sure as hell beats working for Eggman, but it doesn't mean I like them. Most of the people working for GUN don't know how to have any fun, (like Shadow, for instance), and the Commander is always so bossy and harsh. I think he has giant stick up his ass._

With that final thought, Rouge pulled the black mask over her head, creating a sharp contrast with her icy blue irises. She spread her wings and took off slowly; heading towards the GUN headquarters, easy to see even at night as it cut into the sky. It seemed to lord over the other, smaller buildings, not protecting by any means. There was an eerie feel to its towering look, one that sent a light shiver down Rouge's spine.

Rouge flew through alleyways, the darkest and most desolate she could find. She loved these stealth missions, be it for her own personal gain or for GUN. She enjoyed the concentration it required, and the fact that it was hard to think about anything else. They were a way to get her mind off of things, only having to worry about the next step in front of her. They helped to get a certain echidna out of her head.

The bat approached the tall, looming building, making notes of which floors had lights on as she did so. She swooped upwards between the windows, feeling the wind through the thin materiel of the stealth suit. It was almost chilling, a reminder that autumn was creeping steadily closer, but still calming. Flight was an exhilarating feeling, and Rouge was glad to be able to experience it.

The top of the GUN headquarters was a pyramid of glass. It was a seemingly delicate structure, one that, when lights were on, was actually quite beautiful. However, those occasions were rare, for the top floor was merely an elaborate conference room, and meetings usually happened during the daytime. It wasn't frequently occupied even then, for it was reserved for only the largest and most important of conferences, usually involving multiple world leaders. Rouge had only ever been on this floor once before now, the beforetime involving an incident between the leaders of Soleanna and Spagonia.

Rouge landed softly on the slanted glass on the peak of the skyscraper, peering in for a moment to make sure that the floor was unoccupied. After confirming its vacancy, the thief reached into a small pocket on the side of her backpack and produced the silenced laser cutter. One end was placed on the glass, and a button was pushed. A small, yet strong suction cup shot out and stuck to the surface, and the other end extended slightly, bending at a ninety-degree angle. Rouge pressed another button, and a thin, red beam shot out of the tip, silently slicing into the window.

She cut and removed a perfectly round circle from the skylight. _I always feel like I should reuse these. I could make a glass tabletop… _After placing the laser cutter back into the pocket it had come from, Rouge began to lower herself into the newly created hole. She spread her wings and glided gracefully down to the plush, carpeted floor once through.

The conference room was surprisingly dark, the moonlight seeming to almost be repelled by the building, and Rouge found that she could barely see the outline of the large conference table that, from experience, she knew to be an almost sickeningly artsy blend of glossy wood and stainless steel. She quietly removed her bag from her back and placed it on the floor so she could remove the night-vision goggles from their designated pocket.

The world tinged green as Rouge slipped the goggles over her eyes, allowing her a more complete look at the room she found herself in. One gloved finger flicked a small switch on the side of the device, turning on the setting that allowed laser tripwires and cameras to be seen easily. Neither was present in this room, however. _They didn't think someone could get in here this stealthily. I guess I proved them wrong. _A smirk crept on her face underneath the mask.

Knowing that she was now on the 80th floor, Rouge only had to descend a single flight of steps to get to her destination. Those steps, however, were probably coated with security cameras. Accepting and even relishing the challenge, the bat navigated through her florescent green world to the door at the far side of the room with a small plaque next to it. On the plaque was a jagged white line one could assume to be a symbol for stairs.

The door didn't appear to have any security system attached to it, so Rouge carefully cracked it open to get a look at the stairs beyond. Sure enough, several cameras were in place. The one in particular that might be more troublesome than the others was at that moment facing away from the door, but it had begun oscillating back towards the thief, so she quickly and silently shut the door before once again reaching into her bag. This time, what was produced looked very similar to the remote controls for a toy racecar.

Rouge flicked the switch on the side, causing a small red light to flash on next to it. After that, the other switches followed, each one accompanied by an illumination of its own bulb of a different color, creating an oddly Christmassy appearance. At one point in the process, a number was typed into the small keypad on the side of the device, making sure that this one camera was the only one being affected, before the dials resumed being turned with expert precision. This was admittedly Rouge's favorite thieving device. Not only was it useful as all get out, but it also held a kind of special awe with the fact that she had no idea how it worked. Of course, Tails would explain it to her if she asked, but she found that she liked the mystery of not knowing. Besides, she would never show weakness by asking, anyway.

Rouge waited a couple seconds for the device to take effect before cracking open the stairwell door once more. Sure enough, the camera was still and silent. Moving quickly, but also silently, the bat slipped through the door and to the wall underneath the device, a spot where the mechanic eye couldn't scope. Rouge shut off the jamming device so suspicions would not be raised and watched as the red silhouette in her green vision began moving once more.

Another camera was in the corner above the foot of the next set of steps. As Rouge watched, she noticed a small gap as the two devices made their rounds. Timing it just right, the thief lithely flipped over a section of railing and down another floor. She landed right in front of a door, and she took the opportunity to run through right then before the machines could rotate back around.

After so many spy missions and jewels stolen, Rouge had learned to pay attention to her surroundings. It had become almost second nature to absorb all information a room had to offer. She had known previously the details of this section of the GUN headquarters, because her earlier visits to this floor had told her exactly where the cameras were, what sorts of shadows covered which sections of the floor, and how many pieces of furniture could be vaulted over silently to get to any given destination. Needless to say, the trip from the stairwell to the Commander's office was not only swift, but also not without its share of acrobatic tricks and gymnastic wonders.

Rouge inspected the doorframe of the office's entrance carefully, going over each section multiple times. There were no signs of a security system, and that bothered her greatly. As paranoid as the Commander was, and as valuable as this book presented itself to be, the thief had expected the most advanced alarm system known to Mobius to be hooked up to his door. It was either so advanced that it was invisible, or the Commander felt it was unneeded. Something in Rouge's gut almost hoped it was the former.

The fun suddenly drained out of this mission like a sponge in a vice grip, and was replaced by a serious concentration that made time seem to slip by too quickly. Anyone who knew Rouge would find her unrecognizable now, simply by the absence of the lighthearted energy that always lingered behind her eyes. This feeling of sudden solemnity was not uncommon on her missions, especially the dangerous ones, but it always made her just the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Rouge removed her night-vision goggles for a moment. Just as she had expected, there was light seeping underneath the door. Without being able to resort to peering through the lock, (everything in the building required keycards. _Safer for them, harder for me._), the bat had to press her face against the carpeted floor to get a look into the room. Not even the threat of ruining her makeup could penetrate the shell of concentration.

Because of her angle, her vision was limited to about a foot into the room and an inch off the floor, but it was enough to spot the human shaped shadow projected onto the midnight blue carpet. She picked her head up and inwardly cursed to herself as she replaced the goggles back onto her head. Slowly and carefully she stood, desperately trying to think of what to do next, when a muffled voice could be heard. Rouge silently placed an ear to the wooden surface of the door.

"…what the Commander will do if he finds out you left your post?"

"Of course I do. That's why he's not gonna find out."

_This could be my chance!_

"I don't think it's such a good idea…"

"Stop trying to be my grandmother and watch the book, already."

"Maybe I will!"

"Don't forget, if you look away from it it'll disappear!"

" Just go and get back already!"

The door began to open, and Rouge got into position behind it.

"And if the Commander finds out, I'm saying it was your idea!"

"Like he'd believe that coming from you!"

The door opened fully, and a man walked out. He turned and winked as he closed the door, and as he did so, Rouge discreetly placed a finger between the wood and the wall, just beneath the hinges. A sigh and muffled footsteps could be heard from inside the office. "Well, I guess it's better than stealing a drink from this globe-bar-thing. The Commander probably has an alarm in it."

The voice was directed away from the door, so Rouge took it as her chance. Employing all of the skills she had learned over the years on how to stay silent in pressing situations, the jewel thief quickly maneuvered and flipped through the door, over the Commander's desk, and beneath it, all the while watching for where the cameras were located in her green vision. Footsteps could once again be heard crossing the room.

"And he doesn't even close the door behind him!" She heard the door close. "I mean, seriously. Where does the guy get his nerve! Especially against the Commander. I don't even have the courage to sit in this chair _across_ from the desk! I just stand here like a fool, leaning against it from behind, wishing I could sit, but scared to death of what will happen if I do. 'I didn't give you permission to sit!' he'd say. 'But mistah! I been workin' so hahd!' 'That don't matter!' he'd say. Then he'd bring out whatever medieval torture devices he keeps stored in his closet."

Whoever this guard was, Rouge had to admit that he was slightly amusing, and she had to suppress a chuckle when he impersonated the Commander, partly because she could picture him saying that. In fact, she would have been content to continue listening, but she remembered how pressing her mission was, so she slowly began to rise into a crouch, miscalculating the height of the desk and bumping her head on the solid wood above her. She mentally cursed and waited for the guard to run around and catch her, but was shocked to hear nothing but a loud thump on the other side of the desk.

Still remaining silent and cautious as the trained thief/spy she was, Rouge dared a glance around the desk. There, facedown on the blue carpeting was the guard, a dart sticking out of the middle of his back. The bat cocked her head confusedly and looked up at the underside of the desk. Sure enough, right where she had bumped her head was a small, red button.

She whispered an apology to the amusing guard and rushed around to the other side of the desk, turning off the lights as she went, fully aware that the security cameras had probably seen the man lose consciousness. Rouge hurried over to the corner of the office farthest from the windows that lined one wall to where a display case sat, over which a black cloth was draped. Not seeing any laser tripwires yet, she removed the cloth to reveal the ancient book under its protective glass casing. There, within the case, was an intricate web of red lasers, one more detailed than any spiders' could be. _He really spared no expense for this, huh?_

Knowing that trying to cut through the glass would probably trip the alarm, Rouge scanned her options. She could disable each of the lasers individually, but she couldn't do that from this side of the glass. She could use a concentrated EMP pulse to disable them temporarily, but she lacked the equipment and time that would require. Then it hit her. Maybe it wasn't the book that needed to be freed from the lasers, but instead it was the lasers that needed to be moved away from the book.

Working on her limited time schedule, Rouge pulled out her silenced laser cutter and set it to its lowest effective setting before placing the tip right where the glass met the wood of the pedestal the case resided upon. Keeping a steady hand and a cool head, the bat pressed the button on the side of the device, slowly moving it around the case as it cut.

As soon as that was done, Rouge pocketed the laser cutter and prepared herself for the hard part: removing the glass. Like a life size, life threatening, and all too real game of Operation, the glass case slowly lifted off and away from the contents within. One wrong move could trip every alarm in the building, and Rouge found that she had to struggle to keep calm; to keep her hands from shaking. What seemed like hours later, the case was safely removed and face up on the Commander's desk, lasers still glowing menacingly inside.

Retrieving her new holographic toy from her bag, Rouge created a perfect replica of the item that had proved to be so much trouble already. She carefully and delicately picked up the ancient spell book and placed it in the large pocket of her backpack, feeling it weigh her down more than expected, before swapping it out for the device.

Now all that remained was to replace the glass casing over the hologram, a process that proved to be just as nerve wracking as removing it. Once that was complete, Rouge placed the black cloth back over the glass, concealing the spider web of lasers and the phony book they protected, and began walking back towards the door. She stopped. Footsteps.

Rouge hesitated for a moment, unsure exactly whether she should hide, run, or attack. The door began to creak open, and the state of panic she was in caused her to choose the first option, leaping around the Commander's desk and scrambling underneath it. The door opened, but did not close. It was then, still submerged in a green world, that Rouge remembered turning off the lights. If luck was on her side, this guard, (hopefully the same that had left the room earlier), had not seen his unconscious companion and had just stopped because of the lacking light.

Her theory was disproved, however, when a light switch did not flick. "Carl? Are you conscious? What happened?" The voice definitely belonged to the same guard as before, and by the absence of an answer, Carl was probably the name of the unfortunate man with the accidental dart in the small of his back and painful friction burn on his left cheek. Rouge then remembered something else, an oddly convenient device right above her head with questionable motives. In fact, it was only now that she began to sew together the facts in Shadow's story with her present situation.

As wary and quietly as possible, Rouge extended one finger and pushed gently at the button above her head, wincing heavily as she did so. The dart could be heard shooting from the wall, but there was no sound of a person collapsing. She held her breath and waited, listening for the inevitable footsteps that would approach the desk and catch her sitting there underneath it. Already there were vivid visions flashing through her mind of what the Commander might do if he caught her: imprisonment, torture, execution, slavery… Recent events made her doubt that he had any conscious at all.

Seconds that felt like deafeningly silent hours later, Rouge finally heard a light _*whoomph*_ on the other side of the hardwood desk. Knowing that it was ill advised but still doing it anyways, she slowly crawled to the left and peeked out from behind the desk. The two guards were making a sort of L shape, their legs draped over each other at the calves. This other guard landed on his back, and Rouge saw that the dart had pierced him on the upper arm, just above the elbow. She didn't know if sedated people ever left their eyes open or not, but she was glad to see that the more recent victim's eyelids were firmly glued shut. _This isn't a horror movie. Get a grip on yourself, girl!_

Now making great haste with very little care of cameras, the thief sliced a large round hole in the glass of the large window/wall on one end of the office. Not even sparing an extra glance behind her, Rouge placed one boot on the rim of the glass, ready to kick off into the night. Eager to get away from the Commander's office, she kicked off hard and spread her wings to catch the steadily cooling air, letting out a loud, sharp squeal when a mechanical hand caught her ankle.

**M-109: Part III**

M-109 returned to its duties swiftly and without incident, the only memories present those of creation and function. The robot was told by a man who claimed to be in charge, (the 'Commander', he called himself), that there was a large malfunction in its core neural operating system, heavily impairing free-thought and completely wiping away most memories it had. In fact, its thought processes had been so mangled by the malfunction that it hardly even cared about the unremembered experiences.

A full day had passed since the unfortunate malfunction, and M-109 found that it was absolutely indifferent about the menial tasks it was provided so far, apparently good enough at them that it was able to be trusted with security duty. Now, something was oddly familiar about being a guard, but the robot dismissed it as an odd sensor echo.

M-109 also recalled having highly advanced sensors, and it guessed that this ability attributed to its post as a guard. It was having a bit of difficulty remembering how to use them, however, at first unsure how far away a subject was, and occasionally overwhelmed when things were occurring in excess too quickly and much too often, but it was already making vast improvements, and it guessed that it would be back to full capacity in a reasonable amount of time.

It still did not feel as if it could confidently stretch its sensors over the entire GUN headquarters, so it was pacing the halls, occasionally switching floors. Its patrol had been going on for several hours now, but it did not even consider stopping, for the Commander had told M-109 to continue guard duty 'until I come up with something more useful for you', and though it couldn't exactly remember what it was, the robot knew that it once had a very unpleasant memory that motivated it to always try to do exactly what it was told. So, needless to say, M-109 was going to continue vigorously patrolling the halls until the Commander returned.

The purple robot had been on the 35th floor for about an hour before it decided to move up to the 65th, and once there it had taken nearly five full minutes to truly process what was happening. An unidentified female was approaching a large office at the end of the 79th floor at an alarmingly stealthy rate, and it honestly stunned M-109 for a moment, leaving the robot confused as to what to do next. After a few moments of silence, it typed the first five digits of the Commander's Guardian Units Identification Code into its built-in communicator, expecting a swift response. Nothing. Again: Nothing. Once more: Out of range? _Must be a malfunction._

Thinking of how pleased the Commander would be with it if the robot caught the intruder single-handedly, (the glory, the possible promotion to a less dull job), M-109 rushed to the elevator. It reached out one metal digit to press the call button, but stopped centimeters from it as a new thought entered its processes.

This fleeting inspiration, almost like a sensor ghost in its circuitry, seemed almost instinctual. In that one moment, it thought of what the large man in the blue suit would do if he _weren't_ pleased. Images of bright, molten metal flashed across the robot's memory, and the knowledge that it could be M-109 weighed down its matrix. It recalled a dark green color and a single designation: _M-107_.

If the machine had a spine, there would be shivers crawling up and down it as this hodgepodge of oddly familiar thoughts entered its circuitry so unexpectedly. It knew that the Commander was its superior and a good man, because everything in its newly revamped processes told it so, so M-109 stored the memory file away for later examination and pressed the call button so it could get on with the task at hand.

After an uneventful ride on the elevator up to the 79th floor, it stepped into the hallway and used its sensors to probe the large office at the end of the hall where the reported activity was taking place, finding that the female, (an anthropomorph bat), was now removing a laser cutter from her bag, no doubt preparing to cut through the window, so M-109 fired up its speed enhancing boosters and headed down the hallway as fast as it possibly could. When it reached the door, the robot opened it to find the female preparing to take off through a newly made circle in the glass, so it launched its metal frame towards her. She kicked off and spread her wings, almost making a clean getaway, but M-109 was quick, and in a flash her ankle was caught in a metal vice grip.


	18. Chapter 18

**Silver: Part III**

After the Emeralds, both Sol and Chaos, were obtained, Silver, Blaze, and Amy left the GUN headquarters for a place called 'Angel Island', a place that supposedly was kept afloat in midair by the power of the 'Master Emerald', apparently the 'controller of Chaos' and the place Tikal had spent the last 4,000 years. Silver had to admit that all this confused him, but he was also strangely thrilled at the prospect of maybe finding an answer to where his powers came from. He was also finding that the constant yammering of the pink hedgehog in his company was rather cumbersome, and that it all seemed to revolve around a certain 'Sonic the Hedgehog', supposedly the same blue hedgehog that had released both him and Tikal from the laboratory containment cell. Blaze seemed, by the annoyed looks she gave, to find it incredibly obnoxious.

If Silver had gathered his information straight, they were going to this 'Angel Island' in order to recharge the yellow Chaos Emerald, which, in turn, will regenerate the yellow Sol Emerald's power, thus allowing him and Blaze safe passage home to their own dimension. The only problem was that the psychokinetic hedgehog wasn't sure he was _ready_ to return home quite yet. He felt as if the answers to his questions lie in this dimension, and he was eager to find out all he could. Besides, these were some of only a few people that he had come even close to befriending since the scientist that had taken him under his wing passed away. Even Belle, the young girl from the café, could not be considered a friend, because he had been much too guarded and secretive, afraid that any small slip would make his abilities public. He felt an unknown camaraderie with these new acquaintances: Blaze, conjurer of fire; Sonic, faster than the speed of sound; Shadow, controller of Chaos; Tikal, user of ancient magic; Knuckles, he of the disproportionate strength; Tails, flying super genius, (perhaps the person that might be able to help find answers to Silver's powers); even Amy, hopelessly obsessed and determined. He felt home among the abnormality of it all.

So now, not entirely sure if he wanted to hasten his journey home at all, Silver was on Angel Island, assisting Blaze and the echidnas in the rejuvenation of the Emeralds any way possible which, frankly, was not very much. Amy was preoccupied talking to a small rabbit by the name of Cream who had apparently come with Tails. The small creature making a smooth, steady orbit around the girls and occasionally interjecting a small squeak had confused Silver at first, (it actually had kind of freaked him out), but the young fox he was stuck talking to explained that it was a 'chao'.

"They tend to gather where there are large sources of Chaos Energy," Tails began. "Not necessarily anything as big as an Emerald, but just natural wellsprings in the earth. In fact this entire island used to be one big chao colony, but that was before the second echidna war destroyed the place." Silver didn't know what the first 'echidna war' was, let alone the second, but he sensed it was important, so he waited silently for Tails to continue. "The first was the reason for all this mess right now. Tikal's mother, the writer of that evil spell book we're after, summoned a creature, (they called it a 'Black Demon'), from the power of the Master Emerald. The chief, Pachacamac, decided to use the Emerald's power against the beast.

"There is a god that resides in the Master Emerald. While it may be a god of destruction, it is also a protector of chao, which is part of the reason why this was such a large colony. This god chose to cooperate with the echidnas to defeat the Black Demon, and it was this temporary alliance that caused Pachacamac to become greedy for the power the god possessed. The second war was with a tribe of echidnas that the Knuckles Tribe had an ancient grudge with, the Nocturnus Tribe. The chief came to ask the god for help, but it refused, stating that if it were no threat to the chao, then it would see no reason to aid them. Pachacamac grew angry and laid siege to the shrine. It was then that the god saw the echidnas were the true threat, so it destroyed all of them it could. Some still remained when Tikal sealed herself and the god inside the Master Emerald, but they were too few and far between to ever truly repopulate. The echidnas have been an endangered species on Mobius ever since, to the point that the humans believe Knuckles is the last one.

"Since that time, other creatures besides echidnas have displayed signs of the ability to control Chaos Energy, but none know why. Sonic is a prime example, and Shadow, artificial though he is, also has high levels of Chaos within his body. Even myself, though not on such titanic quantities. Perhaps it because the god is no longer free and able to keep the energy for itself, or perhaps it is just natural adaptation, no one can be sure."

Silver began to see where the kit was going with this history lesson, and it actually gave him a glimmer of hope. _Maybe there IS someone who can help me find out where my powers come from!_ Tails continued, this time actually turning and looking directly into the ivory hedgehog's eyes. "Maybe your powers have some connection to Chaos Energy. True, I have never seen a Chaos-fueled ability like yours before, but it is possible that it is because your dimension contains Sol Emeralds instead. I know you want to find out where your uncommon powers come from, and if you want me to help, I will. I will help any way I can."

He had been waiting for someone to say those words since his mentor died and the facility he had been in since he was three terminated the funding for the research towards his psychokinesis. Despite being a complete stranger to this world, Silver felt that he could trust this small fox with his life. _But…what about Blaze? There's a friend in her as well, and she's returning home. If I stay, I may never see her again._

Tails spoke again when the white hedgehog didn't respond immediately. "You don't need an answer right now. Just consider it." The kit placed a hand on Silver's shoulder and smiled lightly before leaving towards the echidnas and Blaze, the former of which were still working vigorously to rejuvenate the Chaos Emerald. The hedgehog turned his gaze to the chao, who halted its orbit and waved cheerily when it noticed. _Life was so much easier back at the café…_

**Shadow: Part V**

Immediately after his conversation with Rouge, Shadow the Hedgehog headed straight to Angel Island, hoping that those echidnas did their job properly and had regenerated the yellow Chaos Emerald quickly. He felt as if he desperately needed to hasten his plan, especially since the Commander was finally beginning to stir.

Making liberal use of his hoverskates, Shadow arrived at the island in record time, hindered only by the large man, who, though he would never admit it, was quite cumbersome on his back. The echidnas were the only ones there at the moment, and both were heavily immersed in chants, Tikal's being impossible to understand, even to Knuckles, for she was speaking some sort of primitive runic language.

The ebony hedgehog dropped the Commander on the ancient stone floor of the altar roughly, creating an odd flopping sound that made the red guardian turn in a sudden fighting stance and halt his chanting. Tikal did not acknowledge his presence, but she did let a light smile creep onto her face for a few moments. "Dammit, Shadow! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" The addressed hedgehog crossed his arms and scowled. "On what do you suppose I knock?" Knuckles shook his head and visibly bit back a snarl. "What do you want?"

"I want that yellow Chaos Emerald." It was then that the echidna noticed the Commander lying unconscious on the hard stone. "What is _he_ doing here?" _I'm beginning to lose my patience…_ "Do you have the Emerald or not?" Knuckles did not answer immediately, simply staring in shock at the man on the ground, and Shadow was about to grab the crescent-shaped patch of white fur on his chest and scream rough things into his face when Tikal finally ceased chanting and stood.

"The Chaos Emerald has not arrived just yet, and when it does, I predict that it will take longer than necessary for your purposes to be fully regenerated. I'm afraid I can't do anything to hasten that, but if you wish, I can transport both of you to where you need to go using the Master Emerald. I will not, however, be able to transport you back once you get there."

He knew what he had to do; what the only truly just thing to do would be, and he didn't care what it took. He would find a way down to Mobius when the time came. He did before. "Yes. I wish to go to the ARK." She nodded once and turned back to the Emerald. "Very well. Please stand near the Commander. You may want to move, Knuckles." The guardian practically dove out of the way as Shadow took a small step closer to the mentioned human. Tikal placed a gloved hand on the smooth surface of the large gem and closed her eyes. "This is a slow process. Much less sudden and precise than the Chaos Control that you have grown used to. Just stay still and relaxed."

"_A memory in time, a perception of place._

_Revisit the world once known._

_A web of fabric, delicate lace._

_An event by fate postponed."_

Shadow felt light and airy, and he soon noticed that Tikal's observation was correct: this was much different than Chaos Control. The Ultimate Lifeform's normal route of transportation happened in an instant, and always with an odd nauseating feeling like being dropped suddenly from a high place. There was usually a brief humming in his ears, followed by a bright flash. Once the light went away, he was accustomed to seeing the place he intended to transport to appear around him. Needless to say, this form of teleportation was quite the contrast.

Instead of the quick process he was used to, Shadow felt himself floating in silence as the vision of the echidnas and the Master Emerald's altar disappeared from his sights, the colors almost seeming to drain into some unknown chasm or abyss. The still silence was deafening and oppressive in the dark world the hedgehog now found himself in, and though there wasn't a person on Mobius he would admit it to, not even Sonic, he was moderately frightened. Gradually, like a door opening at the end of a long corridor, a small light appeared. A miniscule rumble, almost just a vibration, accompanied the sight, and an eerie feeling entered Shadow's ethereal body, sending a shiver down his spine. The quills on the back of his neck raised as the light swelled, a balloon ready to pop, and when the latex film around the substance could no longer hold on, it burst. The vibration grew swiftly to a roar as the light coated the black void, filling it with colors. The vacuum was painted like a mammoth canvas by the loud illumination in every color; grays plastered themselves along the wall, velvet black pooled in shadows on the floor, orange rust splattered itself across the gunmetal surfaces, and a bright yellowish-white pasted itself to the ceiling in the form of a flickering florescent light, sensing life in its sensors for the first time in years.

Shadow's feet felt like bricks of lead on the cold floor, and he had to fight back the nausea that waved over his body. He buckled over onto his knees and dry heaved several times; proof that Gerald created a true lifeform, not invincible, but damn well close.

Able to get to his feet and push back the urge to spill his last meal on the floor, Shadow was just now able to absorb his surroundings. If he was able to remember correctly, then this was the research department, section 4-B. He was only a floor and a section from his 'birthplace'.

_Now is not the time to become sentimental._ The Ultimate Lifeform glanced down at the Commander, halfway wishing that he had been conscious during the teleportation process, disappointed that such a good torture opportunity had been missed. Needless to say, the mustachioed man was in the same position he had been back on Mobius, and he looked so innocent and unharmed it made Shadow want to kick him in the stomach with all his strength. He knew, however, that it might wake him, so the crimson-striped hedgehog instead opted to drag him to the nearest elevator, hoping somewhat sadistically that the occasional rust spot on the floor was rubbing off on the Commander's eternally pristine blue suit.

It wasn't too far, and once inside the cylindrical structure, the lights and life support hummed to life. Shadow remembered when the systems were upgraded with auto-sensors. It was an effort to conserve energy, Maria had told him. She said it opened the opportunity to stay here longer if needed. He remembered that she didn't seem to like that idea much.

Shaking the memories that could quickly become painful out of his head, Shadow pressed the button for the floor two upwards: the scientist's quarters. When the elevator arrived, he made quick work of dragging the man down the hallway, trying his hardest all the while to not look at anything, for fear of what memories it might spark. A corner he had run around with her; a door she had walked out of; a window she had stood staring through, longing to visit the planet below. Everything was a painful reminder of Maria.

As soon as he reached his destination, a place that Shadow saw a cruel irony in, he tossed the man in roughly and broke the electronic lock. He honestly hoped with all his soul that he would never have to see or hear from this man for the rest of his immortal life. _If he rots in this place, I will have no remorse._

He began walking back to the elevator, eager to get out of this place; the memories and visions running through his head were quickly becoming too much to take. Once back inside the mechanical cylinder, he turned and quickly pushed the button, only glancing back into the corridor afterwards.

In that one glance, he saw the lights quickly beginning to flicker to black, and in the light, he could have sworn he saw a figure in a blue dress, running as fast as they could towards him. Somewhere there was a loud bang, and the figure fell, her golden hair splayed across the ground. The elevator door closed. A small tear trickled down Shadow's cheek. _Too many memories._


	19. Chapter 19

**Blaze: Part III**

"About time you got here! What took you so long? Have you got the Emerald?" Knuckles seemed to be exaggerating his irritation, almost faking full-blown anger, and Blaze decided that the best thing to do would be to ignore it. Any other day she might have played along with it, but time was short and so was her energy. "Yeah, we got all four. Here's yours." She tossed the dark grey Chaos Emerald towards the echidna, and he fumbled before safely catching it. "Careful, cat! We don't want it broken, too!" Blaze rolled her eyes and walked closer to the Master Emerald, eager to get away from the prickly guardian.

The lavender cat leaned her back against the large gem and crossed her arms, surveying the island. Over to her right, Tails and that hedgehog, Silver, were talking. She hadn't quite made up her mind about him yet, but what she had decided was that he was strangely quiet, moderately useful in survival situations, and incredibly naïve. He said that they should be friends once they returned to their own dimension, and she thought that she just might take him up on that offer.

To her left was Amy Rose, (_Rather annoying, that one…_), talking with Blaze's personal friend, Cream. The feline had not seen her for almost a year, and she was debating as to whether she should go over and say something, but she knew that as soon as the rabbit noticed she was there she would no doubt come right over and make a lively little scene. Blaze had to admit that she was almost looking forward to it.

Then there was Tikal, who Blaze had never met personally. Cream had told her the story of the time the Master Emerald was shattered, so she had known enough to recognize the echidna, but she had never truly seen her. At the moment she was on her knees directly down and to the left of Blaze, chanting with her eyes closed and holding the colorless Chaos Emerald to the larger gem the cat was now leaning on. She decided not to introduce herself just yet. The interruption would be unnecessary.

Blaze continued to observe in this way until Tails strode over, leaving a confusedly happy Silver behind him. The pyrokinetic smirked. "What'd you say?" The kit reached a hand around the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well… I just thought I would offer my help." She had to admit that that response was oddly cryptic and that she had no clue what it meant, but she wasn't in an inquiring mood, so she dropped it. "Well," she said instead, "any ideas as to why we have two grey Emeralds on our hands?"

Tails seemed glad that the subject was dropped, whatever it was. He also appeared to enjoy the chance to launch into an intellectual explanation. "Well, it's hard to say exactly why the Chaos Emerald is drained, but I know why the Sol is. As has been proven before, the Emeralds share an odd dimensional bond. What happens to one appears to happen to the other, which explains why they appear to be so unpredictable at times. Whatever happened to the yellow Chaos Emerald appears to have drained its Sol counterpart, and in an effort to fix itself, the Sol Emeralds called both you and Silver over to our dimension. Like I say, though, I don't know what caused…the…"

Tails' eyes bugged out of their sockets and fixed themselves on something behind Blaze as he trailed off, and instead of pressuring to continue, she instead opted to see what the issue was. As she turned, she began to hear a light rumbling, like that of a large object meeting air resistance, and as her gaze locked on the source, she saw that that was exactly what it was.

Her first thought was that Dr. Eggman or Eggman Nega, (or worse, both), had decided to make a sudden ruckus, but closer examination showed that this was not so. First of all, the metallic object was too out of control, and secondly, the distinct capsule shape hinted at an escape pod of some sort, but from where, she could not see. There were no ships flying overhead.

Its speed as the machine fell to the ocean below was intense and steadily gaining, showing absolutely no sign of even slowing, let alone coming to a full stop. Blaze watched it intently, unsure exactly what to do, not even daring to see if anyone else on the island was seeing what she was. It continued, and she was beginning to believe that it would simply sink into the sea without an explanation when she began to notice a change.

A hatch was opening in the side of the capsule. It was barely visible from where she stood, but definitely there. A door had opened, and not even seconds later, a figure, just a spec from this view, leaped from the quickly plummeting pod. The person flew through the air, coming ever closer with each passing moment, soaring the distance with ease.

It looked as if the figure was going to make it to the floating island's surface, and sure enough, it did. The same instant that the mysterious soaring silhouette landed near the altar ruins, knees bent and head down, the large escape pod-esque machine made contact with the ocean, creating a huge splashing sound and a gargantuan wave that enveloped the side of the nearby cliff with mammoth force. The entire event was so sudden and unexpected that Blaze had hardly had time to think.

Tikal had not been watching the event. She had merely continued chanting throughout the happening, and now that it was over, she was the first one to speak. "I see you were able to conclude your business aboard the space station, Shadow."

All heads had turned to look at Tikal as she spoke so nonchalantly, and now they returned to the figure, which had raised its head and begun walking forward. Sure enough, it was Shadow, in all his red-striped glory, looking as stern and business-like as ever. He nodded once in the orange echidna's direction. "Indeed. Has the Emerald arrived?" Blaze couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "Yes, it has. What the _hell_ was _that_? It was…really showy."

Now that Blaze had officially made herself known, it seemed that Cream finally noticed she was there. She slowly turned her head toward the purple feline before cracking a huge grin and running toward her with Cheese flying behind. "Blaze! You're here!" "Chao chao!" This was exactly the kind of thing Blaze had been expecting Cream to do, and as she watched the rabbit come cheerfully bounding forward, long ears trailing behind like furry pennants, she could only think one thing: _Not now…_

The cat faked a smile that would have been genuine before Shadow came rocketing down from above and waved at the swiftly approaching duo, bracing herself for the impending hug. "What are you doing here?" "Chao!" Cream threw herself around Blaze's waist and squeezed tighter than any eight-year-old should have the strength for as Cheese landed on the top of her head, hugging just as profusely with small blue arms.

Everyone on the island, including Tikal, was staring. Shadow had his customary scowl, Amy seemed positively brimming with happiness, Knuckles was a mixture of shock and annoyance, and Tails simply stood with a light smile and his arms crossed. The two who had never met one or more of the people involved had appropriately confused looks on their faces. Blaze felt awkward.

"Cream," she said, lightly breaking the hug, "we can catch up later, 'k? We've got some stuff going on right now…" The rabbit did not appear disappointed, and her cheery grin continued as she nodded and took a step away. Blaze had to suppress a chuckle as she felt that Cheese still continued to hug the top of her head. "You too, Cheese." The chao squeaked and floated down off his perch, landing on Cream's shoulder.

_Now, back to business._ Blaze placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Shadow. "Well?" The hedgehog raised an eyebrow, but did not speak. "What was _that?_" She gestured wildly to the air over the ocean that still boasted larger-than-normal waves. "I would like to know why and out of what you just came plummeting to Mobius from Chaos knows where!" He began walking towards the Master Emerald. "I had business on the ARK. Has the Emerald been restored?"

"Hell if I know. Ask the echidnas." Shadow shot her a glare as he past. "I was." _What does Sonic see in this guy? _She did not turn, but she did listen to the conversation behind her. The entire island was eerily quiet.

"The Emerald has not yet been fully restored. It is surprisingly devoid of natural energies."

"The Commander is responsible for that."

"Did you really leave that guy up on the ARK?"

"I thought even a dim echidna like yourself could figure that out."

"HEY! I AM NOT…"

"Control your anger, Knuckles. Help me restore the Emerald."

"Yes. Make yourself useful."

"Don't tell me what to do, hedgehog!"

"Knuckles, it is times like these when I question your heritage. Just calm yourself and aid me."

There were a few moments of welcome silence, and it was shocking when a loud beeping resonated through the air. The source was quickly identified as Shadow's communicator. The hedgehog quickly pressed a button on the device, but he did not have the chance to speak before a loud voice began to boom. It was not a human voice, but mechanical, and rather tinny through the small speaker.

"_Attention all Guardian Units of Nations agents, guards, and soldiers. This is an emergency broadcast. The Commander has gone missing, and we have reason to believe that the underground society of anthropomorphs is responsible. Scanners have shown that many members of the society are at the floating Angel Island. All human agents, guards, and soldiers, please report to the base of Red Mountain. I repeat, all human agents, guards, and soldiers, please report to the base of Red Mountain. Take no further action until instructed. You will receive further instruction upon arrival. This is Acting Commander Violet, signing out._"

Silence. Pure silence. Silence so thick and palpable you could sharpen a knife with it permeated the air, and it was almost as if there was a sound-detonated bomb nearby. Not a soul dared to speak.

The one who did break the silence was not surprising. However, the way in which she did it was. "Where's Sonic?" It was Amy, and she had asked it so quietly that her voice was almost unrecognizable. "Where's Sonic?" she asked again, and now the current residents of the island were becoming nervous for the outburst that they knew would follow. Even Silver, who had known her for less than a day, was visibly cringing.

"Where," the spaces after the words were not a good sign, "is," the second word was slightly louder, "my," everyone knew what would come, yet Cheese was the only one to plug his ears, "SONIKKU!"

Looking back on it later on, she would probably think that her observation was a bit of an exaggeration, but in the moment, Blaze could swear that the ground trembled. She thought she could hear glass breaking in the distance through her gloved hands that had shot up the moment the shriek occurred, and she was certain that she saw birds for miles around take off from their roosts. Perhaps it was just the imagination in her currently tortured mind, but she was sure an explosion had burst from thin air across the ocean, and that a flower in a vase in Chun-Nan wilted unexplainably. A fish in the Oil Ocean Zone suddenly adapted to become better suited in the grimy waters, and a lucky old woman won the jackpot at Casino Ken without even playing. In a graveyard near Blue Ridge Zone, a corpse came back to life, hit its head on the lid of the coffin, and instantly died again. The water level on the Emerald Coast dropped three inches, and in Adabat it rose two. In the Green Hill Zone, a Badnik left over from Eggman's early years ran into a forgotten spike trap, and the penguin within was freed. In the closet of an abandoned house, a porcelain doll with unblinking eyes came suddenly to life and began clawing at the locked doorknob. As was said, Blaze's account was probably an exaggeration, but as she stood there cringing, hands pressed over ears, it felt like all that and more.

The echo receded into the distance, but the ringing in Blaze's traumatized ears did not. Her vision seemed blurry, and as she looked over at the flustered pink hedgehog, she found that she had to fight back an urge to throttle her to death. To be honest, she was surprised that either Shadow or Knuckles hadn't already, but it appeared that they were still in too much of a shock. Besides, she didn't think that the echidna was the kind of guy to ever purposely strike a woman. Shadow, however…well…he was exhibiting some intense self-control.

"You idiot." It was the ebony hedgehog. "What did that accomplish? Did that do anything?" Amy did not answer. She merely stood, breathing heavily. "What were you thinking, you…pink annoyance! Did it occur to you to just ask?" Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend looked up expectantly, ears perked. "For your information, I know _exactly_ where Sonic is." _I can't wait to hear this one…_

There was silence, and everyone on the island swapped his or her gaze between the two hedgehogs nervously, as if one was about to murder the other. After a few moments of stillness, Knuckles broke the proverbial ice. "Well?" Shadow did not avert his glare from Amy, and Blaze could tell that his gears were turning in his head vigorously. His ear twitched. "He's at my apartment."

There was another silence before Amy spoke. Her stare did not waver, either. "Does anyone have a phone?" Cream stepped up with a small orange flip-phone and handed it to her friend. "Thank you, Cream." She returned to her spot. "What's your number, Shadow?" He did not respond. "What's your number, Shadow?" she repeated. Tails piped up. "Shadow, maybe you should…" The hedgehog raised a hand in the fox's direction, silencing him instantly. "If it will keep you from making a scene, I will tell you. 913-9213."

Finally, Amy broke eye contact, but only to enter the number into the phone. As soon as she was done, the glares continued. When she spoke into the phone, it was cheery and sweet: the absolute opposite of her body language. "Sonikku? Is that you? Oh, thank Chaos! Where are you? You should be here helping! GUN has decided to attack us full force!" There was a pause before she removed the phone from her ear and addressed anyone who would listen. "How's the Emerald?"

"It's almost restored." "Thank you, Tikal." Amy brought the phone back to the side of her head. The glares had still not faded. "Sonic. I'm going to bring you a Chaos Emerald. That'll help, right? Good. I'll be right over." She hung up.

Silence.

Tikal slowly made her way over to Blaze's side, careful not to draw attention to herself. "Blaze," she whispered quietly, still not averting her gaze from the hedgehogs, "as soon as the Chaos Emerald is restored, I would advise against touching any of the Sol Emeralds. Until you're ready, that is." The feline nodded slowly, understanding perfectly. She would want to spend some more time here, just as long as the dimensional rift didn't destroy Mobius.

Silence.

"Is the Emerald ready?" Amy's voice was monotone: a rare thing for her. Tikal glanced toward the Master Emerald and the jewel currently drawing power from it, but no one else did. "Almost. I estimate about a minute longer."

Silence.

"I'm going with you." It was Shadow. Amy shook her head slightly without breaking the eye contact. "Oh, there's no need." He did not move a single muscle. "It is _my_ apartment, hedgehog." _I feel awkward… I'm the only one who knows…_

Silence.

"The Emerald is fully restored." "Thank you, Tikal. Please give it to Shadow." The request was strange, especially since either one of the hedgehogs could have walked over there and picked it up themselves, and Tikal seemed confused and reluctant at first, but after a few moments, she retrieved the gem and held it out to Shadow, who took it with minimal enthusiasm. Immediately he raised it into the air above his head. "Chaos Control!" A bright flash, and the glaring duo was gone. _If she hates him that much now, imagine how bad it'll be when she finds out…_

**Rouge: Part III**

Rouge was not at all sure who this robot was or where it came from, but she did know that it irritated the hell out of her. Sure, it was partly because it caught her just as she was making her escape, but it was also the high-and-mighty view of the Commander, who she knew was anything but. The robot was also prone to monologues. It briefed her on the plan, yet kept her in handcuffs, and she had to wonder if she was confusing it. After all, she was both an agent and a prisoner at the moment.

The robot told her that it was now the Acting Commander, because, according to protocol, the current Commander is missing, and it was the highest-ranking officer in the vicinity when the event occurred. Apparently, it also gave itself permission to look through the Commander's files, and his prolific use of the name 'Violet' to describe the robot had appeared to rub off a bit. There were also 'time periods with an absence of data', however, and it seemed determined, (for some odd reason), to find out what had been omitted.

To be honest, Rouge had been trying to just ignore it until she saw an opportunity for escape, which, she had decided, would be as soon as possible. She planned to do it as they were close to Angel Island, but there seemed to be everyone under the employment of GUN at the base of Red Mountain at the moment. It would be quite dangerous to do what she had planned. _That robot must have sent out an emergency message._

She had, as of now, been kept prisoner at the foot of Red Mountain for what seemed to be several hours, and, as far as she could tell, not much was going on. Most of the soldiers and guards were poised and ready for something not even them appeared to know about. Acting Commander Violet really seemed to be taking charge, but was also hesitant to take action. Rouge guessed it was waiting.

But…waiting for what? Sure, they were near Angel Island, and she knew how paranoid they had been about anthropomorphs recently, but what, exactly, were they expecting? Knuckles wouldn't kill anyone, neither would Sonic or anyone else involved. _Well, Shadow's a bit of a loose cannon, but I think they can control him._ Nobody around the small makeshift encampment spoke, their anticipation thick enough to spread on toast. It was especially apparent in the ring of guards around her, all of who seemed to be keeping their distance from her.

A soldier, (lieutenant, in fact, judging by his pins), approached the robot, who he still seemed apprehensive about. Rouge supposed that they all would have difficulty obeying it. "Sir," he said quietly, to where she had to inch forward to hear, "what action do you propose we take? The men are growing restless, and half of us aren't sure why we are here." The robot had no facial expression, yet one could still tell that it was considering its options. "_Lieutenant Young, my sensors show that the subjects will be down shortly. Give it more time._" The man reluctantly saluted and retreated back to a group of soldiers.

_They're coming? And how does it know that?_ However, despite Rouge's doubts, she could soon see several specs in the distance. Even before she saw details, she could tell who they were. Knuckles was gliding in the lead, followed by Tails, suspended from whom was a purple cat who was slightly familiar. _Oh. So _that's _who Blaze is._ Also accompanying them was a white shape with turquoise spots where hands and feet would be. She had absolutely no idea who that might be.

When the quad landed, all officers in the vicinity pointed their guns in that direction. Violet motioned for them to calm themselves before speaking. "_I request the presence of the orange echidna previously in our custody._" Rouge saw Knuckles' obvious glare, as well as Blaze's tail twitch of irritation and the strange ivory hedgehog's look of concern. Tails, with his ever-present cool head, took a step forward. "This doesn't have to do with her. Leave innocents out of this."

The robot motioned to one of Rouge's guards, and she gave an audible gasp as she felt the cold metal of a gun's barrel on her temple. She sat completely still. "_Bring the echidna, or Agent Rouge will be terminated._" There was silence. _Say something!_ Beads of sweat appeared on Rouge's forehead. _I swear! I am gonna kill the person who doesn't help me _right now_!_ "Now you listen here!" It was Knuckles, of all the people. "If you even _think_ about…"

Before he could finish his outburst, a bright light appeared between Knuckles and the robot, and Rouge, too afraid of making the any larger motion, had to clench her eyes shut against the flash. Once the brightness subsided, an orange echidna could be seen standing calmly right where it had been. "There is no need to cause further trouble," Tikal stated calmly. "I will listen to your request."

Rouge breathed a small sigh of relief, but not any more than that, for she could still feel metal pressing uncomfortably into the side of her head. Violet held out a singular metal hand and waited for the lieutenant to hand it Rouge's black backpack. It unzipped the largest pocket and removed the book within, holding it out for further inspection. "_I believe you are familiar with this book._" Tikal nodded. "I am. That is the Book of the Third Eye. It is very dangerous, and I would advise that you…" The robot interrupted her before she could finish the warning. "_You will read it._"

She didn't seem fazed by the rather harsh demand. "I cannot do that." Rouge's heart skipped a beat. "_Prepare to fire on my command, private. 5. 4. 3…" _Tikal again spoke, this time a bit quickly. "I can translate it!" Silence once more permeated the area. The bat choked back a light whimper as she tried to control her pounding heart. "_Fool._" Tikal gulped visibly. "_You think we didn't know that the power is only present when spoken directly from the runes? I will give you thirty more seconds to decide._"

For a moment, no one did anything, but then Knuckles stepped forward. "Tikal! We can't let her die!" She said nothing. For a good five seconds, all she did was stare at the robotic commander. "Tikal!" Finally, she lowered her head and held out her hand, and Violet placed it in her outstretched palm. Tikal opened the book and hesitated with a pained look in her eyes before she began to slowly read. Knuckles pointed his fist towards Rouge. "Shouldn't you let her go?" Violet turned a sensor eye momentarily in the thief's direction. "_Merely a precaution. One can never be too careful._"

Nobody moved as Tikal began to read the runes, the archaic words echoing off the side of Red Mountain. The echidna's voice was solemn and slowed, and an oddly uncomfortable chill made itself present in Rouge's spine, making the fur on the back of her neck prickle. The thief wasn't sure if the black clouds rolling in from the horizon had been there before, but they were approaching swiftly regardless. Thunder rumbled in the distance. _This isn't good… Where's Sonic? Or Shadow? Where the hell are those damned hedgehogs?_


	20. Chapter 20

**Sonic: Part VI**

_Where the hell is Amy? Dammit. It's been _days_ since I've been able to run outside, and it's starting to drive me INSANE!_

Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of Mobius, was now pacing wildly throughout Shadow's apartment. The wound on his leg had gotten slightly better, but it still reduced him to a limp, and any speed faster than walking would be immensely painful. (And it was, too. It was so sharp and unexpected that he found himself veer quickly to the right and directly into Shadow's couch. After no small degree of profanities, Sonic had gotten himself up, straightened his ruffled quills, and reduced himself to the obnoxious pace of walking he was now in.) He knew that he should be out there. He was driving himself to near insanity with the thought that he should somehow be helping, or at least have a way to know what was going on.

It had been almost a full minute since Amy had called, but it felt more like an hour. She was probably the last person Sonic wanted to deal with right now, but if she were bringing a Chaos Emerald, he would tolerate her.

It wasn't like Sonic _hated_ Amy Rose. (No, if _that_ were the case, he would never have saved her from his metal version in the first place.) On the contrary, she was actually quite a good friend. His only problem was how she seemed to think they were more than that. Sonic tolerated her obsession most of the time, but he would have to put an end to it soon. After all, he wasn't a single hedgehog anymore.

Sonic had just been contemplating jumping out the bedroom window, (anything to get outside), when a bright flash of light blinded him. When it subsided, he saw Shadow leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe with a large yellow gem in one ungloved hand and a dark scowl on his face. His facial expression appeared perfectly normal at first, but if one who knew him well looked closely, a faint smile could be seen hidden under the harsh exterior. "Glad to see you haven't destroyed the place." At the sound of the ebony hedgie's voice, Sonic limped quickly over and poked a finger at Shadow's chest. "It took you long enough! I've been going crazy, here!" He paused and smirked. "And what's with the pink lamp, huh?" The Ultimate Lifeform lifted one eyebrow. "What _are_ you talking about, hedgehog?"

Sonic _would_ have responded with a witty, (and slightly nonsensical, no doubt), response from off the top of his head, but he was interrupted by a loud banging in the other room, followed by a loud, familiar voice. "Let me in! I swear, if you are doing anything to _my_ Sonikku, I promise that I will kill you! Even without my hammer! Let me in, dammit!"

The cobalt hedgehog let a small smile creep onto his face as Shadow let out an audible sigh. Sonic chuckled and started for the door. "I'll let her in." As he approached the front door, the banging became louder, and the screaming even more shrill. _It's a miracle the neighbors haven't said something already…_ "Open this door! Open it! Sonikku! If you're in there, come let me in, or I'm gonna…" Sonic swung open the door.

The look on Amy's face at first was that of pure anger, and the raised fist ready to knock excessively accompanied by its clenched partner at her side that would normally be holding a large hammer accentuated it greatly. The moment her eyes scanned the hedgehog in the doorway, however, her face brightened, and she instantly gained all the giddy energy of a schoolgirl with a few large cups of coffee dumped directly into her bloodstream. "Sonikku!" The squeal was that of pure delight as she created a vice grip hug around Sonic's waist. _I swear, this girl is unstable._ "Ugh…air…need…breathe…Amy…" She released him, and he quickly took the chance to gasp for air.

Amy took the breather as an opportunity to approach Shadow. She didn't touch him, (anyone knew that it could be the last thing you do with that hand), but she did raise a finger and hovered it inches over where Sonic's had been mere moments earlier. "Listen, _Shadow_. I don't know who you think you are, and frankly, I don't care. I also don't care _how_ you managed to Chaos Control us both to two different locations, but I _do_ know that I don't appreciate it! Just be glad my Sonikku is fine, or you would have had the blunt side of my hammer upside your_ head_!" Then, as a side note: "Just as soon as I get Tails to rebuild it, that is…"

"Listen, you pink _thing_…" Sonic was watching in dread. He noticed the twitch of Shadow's eyebrow, and he realized how much control the Ultimate Lifeform was exercising right now to not just haul off on Amy's face with the nearest heavy object. Therefore, when his secret boyfriend spoke, it was with great speed and gusto that he injected himself between the hedgehogs, only cringing slightly as a shock of pain shot up his leg. "Shouldn't we get going?" he said quickly. "Everyone's probably waiting…" Amy once again lost the angry furrow of her brow and perked up happily. "Ok, Sonikku!" She winked. "You can hold my hand when we Chaos Control, 'k?"

Sonic forced a smile as the girl leapt onto his waist and an aggressive sigh behind his head reminded him that Shadow was still trying really hard to keep himself calm. "Uh, Amy? D'you think you might be able to wait just outside for a moment?" She appeared confused for a split second, (only a momentary faltering of her giddiness), before nodding and strolling outside. Sonic released the breath he had been holding and turned to Shadow, who seemed to be none too pleased.

"I don't know how you stand her, faker." Sonic smiled and wrapped his arms around Shadow's neck. "Honestly, neither do I." The black hedgehog sighed and set his currently gloveless hands on the blue hero's hips. There was silence for a moment as the duo just stared into each other's eyes. It went on like this until Shadow broke the silence. "What was that about a pink lamp?"

Sonic chuckled and peeked over at the mentioned piece of furniture. _Huh. It looked pink the first time… Now it fits better. I mean, how could I expect Shadow to have anything _but_ red. And black. Actually… This place isn't nearly as uncoordinated as I first thought… _"It's not important."

Shadow just shrugged and leaned forward. "I think," he began, his voice sending shivers down Sonic's spine, "that you're hallucinating." The blue hedgehog let a smirk creep onto his tan muzzle and closed the gap between them by a few inches. "I hope not…"

"Hurry up, Sonikku!" The fur on the back of Sonic's neck rose as he heard the squeal and the door rapidly opening and closing, the sound nearly harmonious with the deep growl that momentarily escaped from Shadow's throat. He maintained his hackle-raising flinch as he spoke quietly to his glaring boyfriend. "Is she still there?" "Hmph. No." Sonic chuckled nervously. "I guess it would've been a lot louder if she was, huh?" Shadow smiled lightly before sighing and walking to the door. "We should go."

The hero of Mobius grimaced as he took a step on his wounded leg, but he refused to let it faze him, so he just cracked a huge grin and ignored it as he joined Shadow at the door. "Let's do it to it!"

**Espio: Part II**

Sure, the fact that the Commander had gone completely loopy worried Espio, and it wasn't as if Vector's forced and potentially fatal new drug addiction wasn't horribly distressing, but right at the moment, the purple chameleon could _really_ use some food that didn't look like someone put a chicken in a blender.

After all three members of Team Chaotix were freed from their cells, they had made their way up to the laboratory, where the head scientist, (_why is _he_ helping?_), briefed them on the full details of Vector's 'problem'. Espio listened, concerned for his friend, but the distracting thought of a hot meal was never very far from his mind.

So, as of now, the trio was on their way to the Mystic Ruins, and, as always, they were forced to take the long way. Not only that, but they were also traveling in the dark. "Can someone remind me why we had to take _this_ path?" Espio heard the buzzing of bee wings and the subsequent squeaky response from somewhere above his head. "The train tracks are the fastest route to the Mystic Ruins!" _Way to sound like a game tutorial, Charmy… _"But couldn't we have at least brought a _light_?"

There were a few moments of silence before Espio heard a gruff sigh just over to his left. "It's starting again," he heard Vector say, a well-hidden pant of labored breathing beneath his words. "I can feel it." The chameleon glanced to the side in the darkness, seeing only a predictable curtain of black. "We can't be far from the exit. How bad is it?" Vector's feet began to shuffle in the darkness. "I'm just a bit dizzy…"

A few tense moments later, a small prickle of light could be spotted in the distant darkness. "Hey guys! I see light!" _Yes, Charmy. Very astute of you._ Then, Espio heard loud clomping footsteps, almost like running. A crocodile-shaped silhouette covered the light ahead of him. "Vector!" He heard Charmy flying after him, his smaller shadow soon accompanying Vector's. _I guess I'd better follow…_ He rolled his eyes and broke into a light jog.

Upon emerging into the light, (after his eyes painfully adjusted to the sun), Espio saw Vector sitting on a bench in the train station with Charmy buzzing above his head interestedly. As he drew closer, he could make out a syringe being replaced into the small medicine kit the scientist had given them. Vector looked decidedly less ill, instead with a relieved look on his face. "That was a close one," he said as Espio approached him. "Don't worry!" Charmy squealed helpfully, "We'll find a cure!" Espio didn't want to say anything negative, but the look he and Vector exchanged told him that they were thinking the same thing: _Drugs don't have cures._

The chameleon glanced in the direction of Tails' workshop before starting down the station's wooden stairs. "C'mon, guys. Let's get to the fox's workshop. The others should be there." _And even if they aren't I can still get food…_

The trio made quick on their way to Tails' workshop, and soon they were at the door. The locked door. The _fortified_ locked door. Espio began feeling around the doorframe. "Whatcha doin' Espio?" The chameleon ignored the bee's question as he abandoned the door and began checking the ground for suspicious rocks. Eventually he found one that looked a bit loose. Lifting it up, he revealed a small key. "If there's one thing I've learned as a ninja, it's that there's _always_ a spare key, Charmy," he stated matter of factly, unlocking the door and replacing the key under the stone.

The inside of the workshop was completely void of any people. However, Espio had no qualms about waiting, especially with the basket of cookies he had just spotted on the kitchen counter…


	21. Chapter 21

Hello, my few readers! I realised that I haven't really done much speaking to my audience, (it's actually surprising I've been updating at all, what with crazy theatre-related thingimabobs goin' on), so I decided to take this time to say a few things.

**FIRSTLY : **No matter how many readers I may gain or lose as I continue with this, I plan to continue and finish the Third-Eye series. Fear not!

**SECONDLY : **The cookies that were on Tails' kitchen counter in the last chapter were the ones Cream baked. I just thought I'd make that clear.

**THIRDLY : **Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited, or some other such thing. It makes me feel fuzzy inside!

**LASTLY : **Enjoy the rest of this story, readers. I hope it pleases thou!

* * *

**Amy: Part V**

_They seem awfully…close, don't they? Maybe it's just my imagination. Although… Nah. I'm sure that I'm just making it up._

Amy wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to Chaos Control. Yes, she had only done it a few times, but even still, the sudden unpleasant dizzy nausea that accompanied it never did get any better, and she had no want to do it enough to get used to it. In fact, if she had her way, this warp would be the last for a very long time.

So, being unused to it as she was, Amy usually found it difficult to process her surroundings after such an event. Therefore, she guessed that the gun Rouge was holding to a GUN soldier's side wasn't there when she arrived, and that the several unconscious guards strewn about used to be in much better health. "Don't anybody move, or Private Johnson here gets it!"

It was also a few moments before Amy was able to comprehend the fact that the robot in the front of the GUN ranks had a purple hull with the number '109' stamped on its shoulder in small, gold letters. "M-109?" The robot looked towards the girl. She imagined that, if it had a face, it would have a confused look on it. "_How are you familiar with my designation?_" It was now that the rest of the people in the area, (minus Blaze, Cream, and Silver; the latter two of which were confused while the former was suspicious), gained that 'oh, I know you!' look on their faces. "Wait," Knuckles said while pointing with one fist at the robot, "you were that robot. That guard. You were helping us."

M-109 blinked a sensor eye. "_I am not familiar with what you are talking about._" Amy stepped forward. "Don't you remember? It's me," she said, pointing at herself, "Amy Rose. You helped me. You healed my rib. You gave Shadow medicine. You got shot helping us escape. M-109, don't you remember?" The robot was still for a moment, obviously sifting through its memory files. "_I believe you are in error. I was attacked by escaping prisoners. The Commander had to repair my memory files. I have no data on any pink hedgehog named Amy Rose._"

Rouge's eyes flicked between Amy and M-109, the gun still pressed firmly into the visibly frightened soldier. "No offense, hon, but I think there are more important things to worry about." Amy nodded and looked away from the robot who was once her friend. Instead she looked towards Tikal, who had a dangerous spell book open in her arms. "Ummm, Tikal? How far did you get in reading that book?" The echidna looked down at the pages sadly as she responded. "I'm sorry. I was forced. I summoned the Black Demon." The chorus of 'WHAT!'s was loud and unanimous. "It is not at its full strength, but it will be if it absorbs enough souls." _It can…absorb souls? Scary…_

"So where is it then," asked Sonic, his eyes suggesting a light fear suppressed by the want for a good battle. "It is where the book draws its power from," Tikal answered," the Master Emerald." At this there was a low murmur among the conscious GUN soldiers and a visible clenching of Knuckles' fists. A loud gunshot rang out, accompanied by a yelp. The soldier fell over, clutching at his wounded foot. "Damn!" Rouge shouted as she stowed the lightly smoking handgun in her belt, "That's _my_ prize!"

The bat approached the edge of the cliff, spreading her wings in preparation of takeoff. She turned her head towards the rather substantial crowd with a smirk. "So? Who's gonna help me?" There was a moment of silence before Knuckles stepped up to her side. "It is my duty to guard the Master. Besides," he said, "you might try to steal it." She grinned and looked expectantly back to the crowd. Next to speak was, surprisingly, M-109. "_Since this is a matter of national security, my soldiers and I shall protect Station Square._" Amy let a small smile creep onto her face. _It may have forgotten, but it still has a soft spot…_

Next to speak was Tails. "I propose that the rest come with me to my workshop. It's safe for those without the capability to fight," here he glanced at Sonic, who stuck his tongue out at him, "and it can serve as a preparation spot for those who can." Rouge nodded once before turning to the echidna next to her. "Come on, Knucklehead." She took off, hovering just over the cliff and in front of Knuckles, who had not yet left. "Want me to give you a lift?" He shot a benign glare at her. "Not a chance, Batgirl. I can glide just fine." She flew just a bit closer. "Yes, but gliding doesn't usually ascend very much," she said with a smirk before adding, "That means to go up." The echidna narrowed his eyes at Rouge before responding somewhat flustered. "I'll catch an updraft!" He jumped and began gliding towards Angel Island, leaving the bat no choice but to merely shrug and follow.

"_Medics, please tend to the unconscious soldiers. Do something about Private Daniels' foot. The rest of you, follow me to Station Square. I will command the squad at Sector 4. Lieutenant Young, take a team to Sector 6 and await my orders._" The lieutenant saluted and followed as the robot sped off in the direction of the city. Most of the soldiers followed, while a few stayed to tend to the wounded, (courtesy of Shadow).

Now it was only seven of them at the base of Red Mountain. "C'mon, guys," Tails said, walking the same direction as the GUN soldiers, " I have a few weapons that might prove useful at the workshop." _Good. Maybe he has another hammer lying around…_

**Knuckles: Part V**

_Ok, so I let her carry me part of the way. It doesn't matter. After all, we're here for the Master Emerald. I'm fine with it, just as long as she doesn't bring it up._ "See, red boy? There's no shame in accepting a ride now and again." _Yeah. Like that would ever happen…_

The duo was close to Angel Island now, but they could not see a 'Black Demon', (_Whatever _that_ looks like…_), because of the angle they were approaching at. As they drew closer, however, regardless of view, Knuckles could still feel a shiver prickle down his spine. "How do you suppose we kill this thing?" The question was one that Knuckles had been asking himself for a while now. After all, he had never been an expert on the more supernatural powers of the Master Emerald. The usual threats were just from Eggman or the occasional treasure hunter. So really, he had no idea how to kill this thing. "I don't know, Rouge. I guess we'll find out."

The duo was now face to face with the side of the island, rising slowly upwards towards the surface. "Can't you go any faster?" the echidna asked irritably. "I don't know if you knew this, Red, but you're a bit heavy. Feel free to speed this up by letting me drop you." He supposed he could have taken her up on that, opting instead to climb the side of the island, but he decided that he liked where he was at the moment. Therefore, it was a few more moments before their feet touched the surface of the island, their eyes wide at what they saw.

There, near the Master Emerald's altar, was what appeared to be a cruel mockery of Chaos. It was bipedal, and if you saw just a silhouette, one might think that it was the god of destruction, but from Knuckles' vantage point, he saw much more.

It was black. It wasn't just black; it appeared to be a shadow itself, completely rejecting any and all light. Its eyes were two brightly glowing green orbs on its head, beneath which lied a mouth. The mouth seemed perpetually open, and inside it was teeth. Not a row. Not even several rows. They were simply scattered sharply around like someone crushed a few bottles in its mouth. It was watching them.

"Is that it?" Rouge asked cockily with a hand on her hip. "It doesn't look all that dangerous to me." Then it disappeared. It didn't slink into the ground like Chaos, and it didn't flash like a Chaos Control. It just…vanished. Knuckles stared disbelievingly at where the beast had just stood, wondering if it had been there at all. He was about to take a step forward when he heard a small hiss behind him. He whirred around, barely catching a glimpse of the Black Demon before it knocked him and Rouge harshly in opposite directions.

He hit the ground harshly, ignoring the spots in his vision as he stood quickly. "Knuckles! Behind you!" The echidna spun quickly around with his fist ready. It made contact with the beast's chest and stuck. Knuckles pulled as hard as he could, but his fist was firmly imbedded in the shadows that made up the creature's body. It gave a loud screech as the darkness began enveloping the guardian's arm. "Rouge! Help!"

A kick flew from almost out of nowhere and made contact with the beast, releasing Knuckles from its hold as it began instead absorbing Rouge's foot.

The bat thought quickly, however, and swiftly unclasped her boot, pulling her foot out of it. The beast screeched again and dropped the boot from its shadowy grasp, flailing wildly and once more knocking the duo to opposite sides of the island. Or, it would have had the altar not been in the way.

Knuckles' head made contact with the hard stone of the Master Emerald's altar, immediately making all sound and vision fuzzy. He did see Rouge running towards him, however, but could do nothing to warn her of the creature behind her. His last sight before his vision faded to black was of the bat being soundlessly absorbed into the shadows.


	22. Chapter 22

**M-109: Part IV**

The city was eerily silent as they waited. The soldiers were frightened, all restlessly watching the skies, twitchingly clutching their guns at their sides. M-109 was nervous as well, mostly because not even its superior sensors could see anything on the horizon.

The streets had been evacuated long ago. Now all the city could do was wait; wait for an unknown evil to present itself. Wait and hope that it would never arrive.

M-109 kept a vigilant watch, sweeping its sensors around for miles, keeping its sight on everything at once. Still, there was nothing. _Perhaps Agent Rouge and the echidna were able to quell it. I should not have taken her communicator…_

Eager to hear any news, good or bad, M-109 quickly pressed a few keys on its built-in communicator and waited for a response. "This is Lieutenant Young. What is it you need, Commander?" "_Just checking in. Has anything changed?_" Even at this distance, M-109's sensors could pick up the lieutenant's headshake. "That's a negative, sir. We are all still waiting for something to happen. I'll contact you when I know something." "_Affirmative. Violet out._" M-109 reached for the button to terminate the transmission, but the voice on the other end stopped him. "Wait, sir! I think I see something!"

The robot immediately reached out with its sensors. Every soldier in Sector 6 was in a panic, all running behind barriers with their guns aimed at one point in the distance. However, when M-109 scanned that area, there was nothing. "_Lieutenant! My sensors do not see what you are referring to! What is it that your men are focusing on?_" There was a moment of barked orders on the other end before Young responded. "It looks like a large silhouette, sir! It has huge teeth!" _Why can't my scanners see this?_ "_Exercise caution, Lieutenant! Don't hesitate to fire!_"

"It's getting closer! Men, fire at will!" M-109 heard the gunshots over the communicator and saw the soldiers firing at nothing. "It's not working! The bullets aren't affecting it! Fall back! Fall back!" The robot heard the sound of struggling, scattered gunshots, and screams of terror through the small speaker on its wrist, but that was not the most disturbing part. In the expansive reach of its sensors, M-109 saw people dying. They did not receive wounds of any sort. It was just as if all their hearts had suddenly and unexplainably stopped beating. One more scream rang out through the communicator before the transmission was terminated from the other side.

The soldiers near the robot had petrified looks of fear on their faces, but that did not stop M-109 from shouting out orders. "_Prepare for battle! Bring out the heaviest artillery and to not hesitate to shoot at anything on the horizon! It is our duty to protect this city, and we will do just that!" Even if it means death…_

**Sonic: Part VII**

They were at Tails' workshop, preparing weapons and protecting those without fighting ability, and yet Sonic still felt useless. _I should be out there. I should be spin dashing that thing to bits, not sitting here with a hole in my leg!_

Tails had gone to the workshop section of his house and had returned with several objects, one of which being a first aid kit, which Blaze was now using on his leg. He had given Amy a new hammer he had been developing as a lightweight prototype, and to Shadow he gave a small handgun he had been planning to upgrade to a laser version. While both hedgehogs had around the same amount of excitement about their respective weapons, Amy was decidedly louder about it. Also in the inventory was a bulletproof vest for Cream. It was bulky and Sonic doubted they would be going up against any bullets, but he supposed it was better than nothing.

"Don't worry," Blaze said from where she was dressing his wound, snapping him somewhat out of his irritated thought process, "I haven't told anyone." Sonic rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's the least of my worries right now, Blaze." She completed her work and stood before suddenly jabbing a finger at the blue hedgehog's nose. "Y'know, for someone so helpful you sure can be a pain in the neck." She lowered her finger and turned to where they were side by side watching the rest prepare for the unknown. "Sometimes it's good to distract yourself, Sonic. Always remember that."

He nodded slowly without responding. "Anyway, I'm happy for you. Shadow's a good looking guy." Sonic felt heat rise to his face and looked down in an attempt to hide the blush he had obtained. He felt Blaze's hand on his shoulder, her topaz eyes forcing contact with his emerald ones. "Just don't keep it a secret forever, 'k? It's not healthy." She smiled lightly and took back her hand before walking over to the rest of the group.

_She's right… Just, not yet. I'll do it when there isn't a crazy demon thing on the loose. _His ear twitched in irritation. _A demon thing I should be out there fighting._ He took a few looks around the room to see if anyone was watching before taking a few quick steps closer to the front door. Another nervous glance, and now he was outside, the door closing behind him with a slam that was too loud for his liking.

Sonic took off at a light jog, (which was still faster than any average person could sprint), not daring to go any faster because of his leg. "Faker!" He glanced behind him to see Shadow quickly gaining on him. He had no desire to be forcibly stopped, so he simply slowed to a stop just in front of the train station. Shadow was soon with him, holding him by his shoulders.

"What are you doing? You're going to be killed!" Sonic brushed off his lover's hands. "It's better than just sitting there not doing anything." Shadow grabbed the blue hedgehog's face, looking directly into his eyes. "Don't do anything stupid, faker." Sonic tried to shove him away, but to no avail. Shadow just wrapped his arms around him and held him close. "Stop! Sonic, stop! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Sonic stopped struggling. "Y-you…called me Sonic…" Shadow let forth a rare smile. "I love you, Sonic. Don't do this."

A small tear streaked down the cobalt hedgehog's cheek as he lunged forward and caught Shadow in a passionate kiss. Sonic wished he could have stayed there forever, the world strangely peaceful and his mind perfectly clear. Nothing else seemed to matter. But, sadly, all good things must come to an end, and so the former rivals disconnected, both gaining a pleased smile.

However, the moment was short lived, for as Sonic looked over Shadow's shoulder he saw a familiar pink hedgehog, tears practically pouring out of her face. "Oh, dammit." She began to run, and he followed, catching up to her in an instant with a lightly confused Shadow at his heels. "Amy!" He grabbed her arms, forcing her to stop. "Amy! Stop!" She struggled in his grasp, futilely beating on his chest. "You don't! It's not possible! You're supposed to love me!" Sonic was completely at a loss as to what he should say, but, as it turns out, he didn't have to say anything, for Amy stopped struggling, a horrified look on her face. He heard Tails come running from the direction of the workshop. "Sonic! Look out!" He turned around quickly, just in time to see a large clawed hand come swooping down towards him, knocking him against the nearby rock wall and rendering him unconscious.


	23. Chapter 23

**Tikal: Part II**

Sonic had just run out of the workshop, followed by Shadow, Amy, and Tails, and Tikal knew that it wasn't a good sign. _This is it. This is the vision the Master Emerald showed. Knuckles…please come help us…_

The Book of the Third-Eye was, at the moment, lying on the counter, closed and harmless. Tikal thought that there should be an incantation to get rid of the Black Demon for good, but there was no counter spell. She supposed her father had probably looked for one as well, before calling on Chaos to help. _Too bad I can't do that from here. And Shadow left, so Chaos Control is out of the question. I feel suddenly useless. _

She sat on the living room couch with her head in her hands, barely noticing when Silver sat beside her. "What can we do?" Tikal lifted her head and shook it while wiping away the tears beneath her eyes. "I don't know. I really don't know." He smiled and nervously fidgeted with his gloves. "Y'know," he began softly, "I'm glad I came here." Tikal looked at him surprised. He quickly began to explain. "Back in my dimension, I was alone. Sure, I had the occasional acquaintance, but I never met anyone who could truly understand me.

"But here…here I feel at home. I don't feel alone. And even if we all die because of this, I will be glad to have made friends in this strange new world." Tikal smiled. "I'm glad to have met you, too, Silver." They sat in silence for a few moments before a loud voice from the other room caught their attention. "Why do we even still have this thing? Shouldn't we destroy it?" Espio was heard saying before Blaze responded. "Here, let me…"

Panic flashed across Tikal's features before she leapt from the couch and toward the kitchen, where she saw a small fire beginning on the counter. "No!" she screamed as she grabbed the book and threw it to the floor, stomping the flames out wildly before picking it up and holding it somewhat protectively to her chest. "It mustn't be destroyed! There may be a spell we can use to defeat the Black Demon!" She shouted, knowing that she was more afraid of the fact that the appearance of the book now looked identical to the vision rather than the actual destruction. Then, from the other room she heard the front door open and Tails' voice. "C'mon! Hurry! Amy! Shadow! Get Sonic inside!" _No. This can't be the end._ Tikal felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable to happen.

**Space Colony ARK: Personal Files**

_10/24/09_

_I have been on this infernal space station for about a month now. I was able to find an entire storeroom full of sanitary food and water. All of it should last me about another month, maybe two. And that's without bathing._

_ I have been living in my grandfather's old quarters as of recently, rummaging through the files and such. I have actually found out quite a bit more about this station than anyone wants known, like how my predecessor as Commander lived here as a child. He probably even knew that damned hedgehog. I suppose Shadow thought it would be funny to leave me up here. And he doesn't even know my real name._

_ Something is happening down on the surface of the planet. I can see the destruction from here. The colors are all wrong. The water has turned a disgusting brown, and the green of the trees has been replaced by the red and orange of flames. Large fissures have even begun scarring the crust. I know that my brother would not go this far, for then the world would be inhabitable even to his beloved empire, and I doubt even those repulsive anthropomorphs have the power to accomplish this. I wonder if that book has anything to do with it._

_ I have attempted to gather up the resources to create a makeshift escape pod to get me back to the surface, but lately I have been wondering whether it might be better to just stay up here. It isn't really all that bad. Not compared to the horror I've been seeing down there, anyway._

_ Through my time here I will keep a record of what I can remember about the history of planet Mobius, in the hopes that, if this thing destroys the planet completely, someone may eventually find this station and know what the world used to be. I hope my brother is safe…_

_-Commander Verril Robotnik_

* * *

GASP! Cliffhanger! Ok. This is the last chapter up before an inevitable 2-3 week lull. Don't worry, readers, it will continue as soon as I get back from Scotland. If anyone cares that much. Which I doubt. (Pity Party!) Well, I'll be back with a new chapter in a bit, regardless. Love ya! XD


	24. Chapter 24

HELLO AGAIN!

The lull is over, (meaning I'm no longer in Scotland), and the next chapter is up! But I'm sure ya don't wanna hear me rambling, so on with the story!

* * *

**Knuckles: Part VI**

The flickering torchlight cast an eerie glow on the ancient walls of the ruin, creating just enough light to distinguish the many different carvings in the stone. Depictions of tribe leaders and grand murals of age-old battles stretched along the surfaces, many of which Knuckles had actually recently been able to read and understand. He wasn't yet able to read the old echidna ruins completely fluently, but, given another month, he figured that he could write a novel in the dead language. _I'm not even sure how I'm doing it... Mystical powers? Nah. I'm not magical._

His footsteps echoed throughout the temple as Knuckles made his way to the main hall. The main hall was actually the previous location of the Master Emerald. The large gem had not resided there for several millennia, since the first echidna war, but the ancient altar apparently still held some power. In fact, it was this room that was the only reason Knuckles was even able to consider leaving the Master Emerald on the surface in the first place. For some reason, while the red echidna stood on the altar, he could sense, almost like a second sight, how the jewel was faring. So far, (knock on wood), the Master was actually doing quite well.

Knuckles extinguished the torch flame as soon as he entered the main hall, using instead the blue light that emanated from the huge crystals overhead. He had actually found a story on one of the far walls of the hall, and, as far as he could tell, the luminescent qualities of the ceiling were because of great echidna warriors' spirits. He wasn't sure if he really believed that, though.

The main hall was filled with the calming sound of trickling water, a result of the natural spring that not only originated here, but also found its way to many other rooms and chambers in the ruin, completely flooding some of them. This water was clean, unlike much of the water on Mobius now, allowing Knuckles to use it as both a source for drinking water and to grow food.

The choice of plants that Knuckles could grow was severely limited. This was partly because most plants on the surface were now extinct, (not that he'd want to go back up there anyway), but mostly because of the fact that even if he could get living seeds, they wouldn't be able to grow without sunlight. This meant, (much to Knuckles' dismay), no grapes. So, therefore, all of the plants he grew were already naturally surviving in the ruins. (Knuckles' personal favorite was a certain kind of sour, green berry that he decided to call 'Rawst Berries'. They were a definite improvement over the bioluminescent 'Gym Sock Mushrooms'.)

Knuckles made his way directly to the spring, only casting a small glance over at his small garden near the altar. He sat next to the water source, staring down into the liquid, almost black from the dim light in some places, but reflective like a mirror in others. The guardian gazed into his reflection's eyes, seeing the weariness locked behind his violet irises. A large tremor suddenly shook the earth, but Knuckles just ignored it, for they had become common in the last month. He gave an audible sigh and twisted around to see the large stone erected near one of the chamber's walls.

It was a painful reminder of how the world used to be, but one that Knuckles felt was necessary. Carved in the stone was a simple inscription: "The Heroes Of Mobius". It was for Sonic. It was for Tails. It was for Amy, Shadow, and Blaze. It was for Silver, the hedgehog he barely knew. It was for Team Chaotix, never missing the chance for a few rings. It was for Cream, with only eight short years of life. It was for Tikal.

The guardian held all these heroes in his mind and heart, and he thought of them all daily. He refused to let their memories fade. They were all on his thoughts almost constantly, but there was one who seemed to dominate. The one he thought of most often, and the one who wrenched his heart the most. Too often he found his brain drifting to the jewel thief, wishing, actually _hoping_, that he might one day find her trying once more to steal the Master Emerald. That memorial stone was for everyone lost, but Knuckles' heart would always be for Rouge.

**Big**

"Froggy! Come back! You know it's not safe!" Big the Cat lumbered after Froggy, the amphibian always seeming to be a step ahead of him.

It was about two months ago when the world was plunged into chaos, and, being of a somewhat simple sort, Big didn't really care how or why. All he knew was that it affected his fishing. Well, that and the fact that there was a giant black thing with glowing green eyes stalking around somewhere.

"Froggy!" The frog leaped out of the Mystic Ruin jungle, a place Big knew to be safer than some, and towards the cliffs. Hesitating a moment, the large feline glanced behind him at the mostly dead foliage of the once great jungle before following his friend.

His large feet beat against the dry ground, kicking up dust that had been drained of any and all helpful minerals. There were dark clouds in the sky; there had been for months. They hovered there ominously; blocking out any rays of sun there were left, and yet rain was a rare occurrence. Big learned the hard way that it was better that way. The rain had been tainted just like the water, and every drop felt like fire on his skin.

He chased after Froggy, who had begun climbing up a large hill towards what appeared to be rubble of some sort. Big followed, almost tripping several times as he climbed the steep incline. "Froggy! Wait up!" Strangely enough, the frog stopped once it reached the ruins, hopping on one support beam repeatedly as it waited for Big to catch up.

When the cat arrived, he was breathing rather heavily. "What's gotten into you, little buddy?" Froggy simply croaked and hopped excitedly on the support beam. "Come on, Froggy. Let's go home." Big reached for the frog, but it jumped out of his reach for a moment before returning to the rubble. "You want me to move this, Froggy?" Big drawled, grabbing onto the beam with one hand. The small creature jumped excitedly in affirmation as the large violet cat picked up the beam to reveal a book.

The book was burned and slightly water damaged, but still intact. "Is this what you wanted me to find?" Froggy croaked excitedly. "Okay, then." Big picked up the book and placed the beam back where it was. Even though it was damaged, he could still make out a few characters on the cover in faint gold writing. They weren't in standard Mobian. "Hmmm… Wonder what it says…" Big turned the book on its spine and opened the cover to reveal the first page. None of the writing was readable on this page, either.

After a few moments of staring at the page, Big began to feel the book vibrating in his hands. Soon enough, a flash of light pulsed from the pages, causing the surprised feline to drop it in shock. He did not move or run, however, for curiosity had now gotten the best of him. He just stared as the strange book shook even more violently and the pulses increased in speed and brightness, not averting his yellow eyes until the flashing reached its crescendo, nearly blinding the large cat. When the light ceased, Big saw a familiar figure.

It was a red echidna, and, though his name escaped Big's mind at the moment, (a lot of things did), he was pretty sure that he was the same echidna that often went on adventures with Sonic. Right at the moment he appeared to be rather confused. "Are you all right, mister?" The echidna whipped around in a battle stance, seeming ready to punch the violet cat, before a look of recognition flashed across his face. "Big? What…? Why…?"

Big gestured to the book still open on the ground. "Froggy brought me to this book." The echidna looked down at the strange literature, his eyes opening wide in shock. He hesitantly reached down to pick it up. "Do you know what it says, mister?" "Please, Big, call me Knuckles."

Knuckles leafed through the pages of the damaged book. "Surprisingly, most of the pages are actually still readable." Big just stood watching as the guardian browsed through the book, becoming increasingly nervous about the fact that there might be a large black beast behind him with a ravenous appetite at any moment. The echidna flipped past a few more pages before stopping at one in particular that had caught his interest. A smile flashed across his face. "I think this might actually be useful…"


	25. Chapter 25

**Chaos**

_The inside of the Master Emerald was like a dream state, and very little could penetrate the haze from the outside world. It felt like floating, the images changing from a blank white to memories of the past, many of them centering around the ancient echidna ruins and its old resting place in the hidden palace beneath. Needless to say, after a few thousand years, Chaos had gotten used to it._

_ He did miss being able to look out for the Chao, but the small one in the company of the Mobian rabbit had given him hope for a peaceful coexistence with modern life forms. Besides, there was very little the god could do from within a large gemstone, anyway._

_ Approximately two months ago, the comforting presence of the one known as Tikal departed from the Master Emerald with little to no warning. It disappointed Chaos, for he had actually enjoyed the echidna's company, being that they shared so many ancient and difficult memories. She had not returned since. That was enough to make him worry right then and there, but it was only now that he was able to do something about it._

_ It was a strange feeling, but not an entirely unpleasant one, being drawn out of the Emerald. The gem wasn't breaking, for he knew from experience that that sensation was more like a whip crack, sharp and sudden. No, it felt more like a summoning spell, something he had not encountered in just over 4,000 years. It was more like being pulled out of water, the submerged sounds and feelings sudd_enly becoming clearer as the surface was breached.

Chaos found himself on the Master Emerald's altar, the current guardian kneeling before him, reading from a weathered and partially burnt book that he recognized as being dangerous. Behind the echidna was a large cat that was also familiar, along with the green frog cowering in the background that the god had once absorbed. The guardian did not seem to notice, but the feline did, and he quickly pointed it out in a slow drawl. "Mister Knuckles! There's somefin' in front of you!"

Knuckles ceased reading the dead language and looked up at the watery figure standing before him without fear, but a touch of pleading, in his violet eyes. "Chaos, God of Destruction and Protector of Chao," he began authoritatively, "I wish to ask you for assistance. As you can see, the world of Mobius has fallen into what can only be described as an apocalypse." Chaos now noticed the dark clouds and the sound of troubled water below, but did not move, instead waiting for Knuckles to continue. "This was caused by a powerful creature known as the Black Demon, a being I believe you have met before." 'Met' wasn't really the right word. 'Fought and quelled' was more accurate. "It has caused the death of many, and has prevented the return of the Sol Emeralds to their rightful dimension, which is causing the world to break apart. There are very few safe havens anymore, even for the Chao." The god felt a flare of anger rise up inside himself. "That is why I implore that you help in any way you can." The echidna paused, bowing his head. "I am asking this as the Guardian of the Master Emerald, and as a friend and descendant of Tikal."

The rage was bubbling inside him now. He wanted to destroy his nemesis, the Black Demon. He wanted to help the Chao that still survived, and to avenge those who had been lost. He wanted to make that creature with the glowing jade eyes pay for what happened to Tikal. He wanted to destroy it with every ounce of the fury boiling up inside, but he stopped himself for two reasons.

Firstly, he was without any of the Chaos Emeralds. When he had defeated the Black Demon before, he had all seven of the mystical jewels, and even then it had taken him nearly a week of nonstop fighting for a victory to be claimed. If Chaos faced it now, he would invariably get thrashed. Secondly, he knew that even if he did destroy the creature, it wouldn't change the fact that the lives of possibly hundreds of thousands of Chao had been lost. The solution had to be something a bit more drastic.

It was now that Chaos did something that was extremely rare, even thousands of years ago: he established a telepathic link. "_There is only one solution_," he projected into the surprised guardian's mind. "_I will send you back to a changeable point in time._" Knuckles opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the voice inside his head. "_Do not speak. Listen carefully. You must save the bat named Rouge whom I have sensed as the weak point in that moment. However, you must do that without being seen, for if you are noticed, a paradox will be initiated, and you will disappear. Save being seen for when you are complete. You will fade from existence, but your counterpart from that moment in time will live on without even knowing you exist. This is the only way._"

Chaos tapped into the power of the Master Emerald, focusing his abilities to send the guardian back in time.

**Rouge: Part IV**

Now making great haste with very little care of cameras, the thief sliced a large round hole in the glass of the large window/wall on one end of the office. Not even sparing an extra glance behind her, Rouge placed one boot on the rim of the glass, ready to kick off into the night. Eager to get away from the Commander's office, she kicked off hard and spread her wings to catch the steadily cooling air, letting out a loud, sharp squeal when a mechanical hand caught her ankle.

She tried kicking at the robot hand, but her movements were so frantic that they had little effect. Her bat wings pumped against the air, struggling to get her ankle free of the vice-grip. Slowly, she began to get pulled back into the building, her arms soon in range of the hole that she had cut. On impulse Rouge shot out her arms, bracing herself on the window and hoping that the glass wouldn't shatter. Her leg began to hurt from the grasp, creating the foundation of a heavy bruise.

Rouge began to scream. It was a scream of pain and desperation, but it was also a scream of anger. She was angry not only with the robot, but also with herself. _C'mon, Rouge! You've helped to save the world! You've stolen jewels from the palace in Sharmar! This is not how you fail!_

But, even with her inner monologue shouting her own personal pep talk, and with her arms and wings pushing as hard as they could, the mechanical hand was winning. Her arms began to feel the strain, trembling under the stress, and the glass under them sprouted a few disconcerting cracks. Beads of exhaust-caused sweat appeared on her forehead, and though she tried as hard as she could, she was still being pulled back. _No! I will not fail!_

She was about to give up, to just let herself get captured and end the pain she was currently in. Rouge was about to let the robot reel her in before the glass around her finally shattered, but that was before she heard a loud crunching noise not unlike the sound of an anvil being dropped on a television. Suddenly, she was released. She didn't even bother to look behind her before flying away as quickly as possible, heading directly towards Angel Island.


	26. Chapter 26

Ok. This is the last part of The Book Of The Third Eye. That does not mean, however, that the story is over. Soon, there will be a sequel up. Even sooner will be what I call 'The Midquel', so named that it takes place between the first and second. So, anyone who has stayed with it this far, please read the continuations! They will be up soon!

Also, thank you so much for reading this far in the first place. This story means a lot to me, and it makes me so happy to be able to share it with all of you. This is a sappy thing for me. *sobs* Well. Read away. The last part of the first part of a grander scheme.

* * *

**The World At Large: Epilogue**

Once Rouge successfully delivered the book to Angel Island, she returned to her club, still puzzled at some of the events that had taken place. She never did find out what had saved her from the robot that night, but she didn't linger on it, simply counting it as a blessing and a miracle. The only time it was ever brought up in her mind again was about a week later, when a small, anonymous note was found taped to her door, right over the crack that Knuckles had placed. '_I am glad that you are safe._' was all it said, signed only with the date of the nearly failed robbery at the bottom of the paper.

Sonic's leg healed, and him and his new love remained together. He insisted that they keep it a secret for now, so Blaze was still the only one who knew. He continued to save the world from any threat that might arise, but only after a small secret vacation with Shadow.

Shadow the Hedgehog was happy with Sonic, and he respected his wish that their relationship remain a secret for now, not one to disclose any of his business, anyway. After his vacation, he returned to GUN, under new, less dictatorship-like command. He also continued to save the world, albeit more reluctantly and less enthusiastically.

Tikal returned to the Master Emerald, joining Chaos in the dream-like state once again. She hoped to someday find a way to come out of the gem whenever she wished, for she missed her friends. Over the days following the fiasco with the Book Of The Third Eye, Chaos seemed to have a mischievous glint in his aura, but he refused to explain when she asked him about it.

Silver decided to stay in this new dimension of Mobius. He was reluctant to leave his new friend Blaze, but even more so the rest of his newly acquired companions. He stayed at Tails' workshop, allowing the fox to do tests on his powers and hoping that he might someday find the answer to his psychokinesis.

Amy stalked Sonic with even more zeal than before. She had believed him when he told her he was lying about being in love with someone else,(she also didn't see the fingers crossed behind his back), so she eventually backed off a little about that. Also, her collapsible hammer was replaced with a new lightweight prototype that Tails had been developing. She made him paint the button pink.

Tails enjoyed the opportunity to not only help someone, but also to make new discoveries. He ran tests on Silver often, and when he didn't, he still found the white hedgehog to be good company. Sonic didn't come around as much anymore, but the young fox just figured that it was a phase on the speedster's part, so it didn't really bother him too much.

Knuckles continued to guard the Master Emerald with the same sense of duty that he had before, but now it seemed different. It almost seemed as if he wasn't alone in watching it anymore…

Blaze returned to her own dimension after a day or two of catching up with friends. She never gave away the secret of Sonic and Shadow's relationship. When she departed, she was sad to leave, and she made a mental note to figure out a way to return at will.

The Chaotix continued to solve mysteries for any amount of money offered. Charmy remained obnoxious, and Vector remained hopelessly and detrimentally addicted to the R-6 drug. They revisited Henry Frost on a daily basis, in the hopes that he could perhaps produce a cure, but so far the results were fruitless. Also, Espio began accepting the occasional GUN mission, in the hopes that he could outdo Rouge in the way of stealth skills.

M-109 spent its last few moments before a permanent shutdown fizzling on the carpeted floor of the Commander's office. Just before it faded out, its last thoughts were of its maker, M-107's liquidized hull, and a nameless pink hedgehog who had been so kind to it for very little reason.

The Commander remained up on the Space Station ARK, cursing Shadow's name and desperately attempting to scrounge up the materials for an escape pod. He also spent quite a bit of time browsing through his grandfather's research files, knowing immediately, (as any member of the Robotnik family did), that the password was MARIA.

Big the Cat continued to live a simple life with his friend Froggy in the Mystic Ruins' forest. He fished on a daily basis and sometimes thought back to when the amphibian had inexplicably grown a tail and been absorbed by a large, watery creature and wondering, (in his own simple way), if it had left any residual effects.

Cream enjoyed the couple of days that Blaze remained in their dimension, as did Cheese. Both the rabbit and the chao clung to her pretty much constantly until she left. Once Blaze departed, Cream baked for her friends on a regular occasion, her mother, Vanilla, only helping her once. That once was for a five-layer cake on Tails' birthday.

GUN was eventually taken over by a relatively young girl by the name of Topaz. Rouge immediately formed a rivalry with her, but, since her leadership was much less tyrannical, there were no serious consequences when the new Commander was jokingly teased. It took several speeches for the general populous to quit with the 'anthropomorph scare' business.

The Book Of The Third-Eye was resealed in the chamber is had resided in before GUN unearthed it. A large stone was placed in front of the entrance, and a strong magical barrier was erected around it.

The Knuckles that had survived the apocalypse and traveled back in time was able to remain unseen until he could return to the underground chamber that he had called his home in the destroyed future. He again cultivated the soil, this time bringing all the equipment necessary to grow grapes. He also kept an eye on the Master Emerald from the altar within the ruins, still maintaining his guardianship.

**Dr. Ivo Robotnik**

Robotnik lamented the fact that he missed the perfect chance to take over when Station Square and GUN were in complete chaos, but the fact of the matter was, his plans just weren't quite _perfected_ yet. _Well, to be honest, it was inventor's block…_

It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to take over the world, it was just that he'd run out of ideas, and the whole 'unleash an army and get thrashed by Sonic' had been done too many times already. No, he needed something a bit more _foolproof_. That was exactly why he had decided to go back up to the ARK.

His grandfather, the great Gerald Robotnik, always had a knack for 'accidental weapons of mass destruction'. After all, he _did_ create both the Eclipse Cannon and Shadow the Hedgehog. So, with the thought that he would go up to the space station and take a more thorough look at the files, (Password: MARIA), Robotnik boarded his space-worthy Hover Egg and headed up.

He was surprised, when he arrived, to find the dim florescent lights on. He was even more surprised to find his brother in Gerald's quarters. "Verril? What are you doing here?"

_To be continued…_


End file.
